Halo: Rookie No More
by Christian Knight
Summary: A squad of young ODSTs with no support, a city under siege and an army of Covenant troops surrounding them. Can these new leathernecks survive? Not without the help from an ODST Legend, the mysterious man known as "The Rookie". Male Human X Female Sangheili
1. The Promotion

**I do not own Halo or any of the characters**

***Special thanks to Sabere Commander for giving me advice and creating the name of the story***

* * *

**Halo: Rookie No More**

"**The impossible is done with the Lord's help and a few good men and women"-Unknown U.S Marine**

**The Promotion**

**Sydney Australia-February 9****th**** 2553**

Admiral Hood impatiently checks his watch for the tenth time that day. It's getting late; he needs to return to Cairo station before midnight, he has important matters to discuss with the Arbiter concerning the construction of the new embassies.

"Don't worry sir; they'll be here soon," another officer said as he steps up next to the Admiral. He is wearing a clean white dress uniform just like the Fleet Admiral; only his insignia is lacking a few stars, marking him as a Rear Admiral.

Hood sighs and shakes his head slightly, "They are already five minutes late Derek, and now _I'm_ running late."

"Sir, please believe when I tell you this, my team has something that may interest you," pesters the Rear Admiral.

Hood doesn't doubt that. He, as well as everyone else in the Navy, knew Derek Gretna is a glory hound, a person who would give anything to have Hood's job one day. He purposely takes needless risks, puts the lives of his men and women on the line and he always abuse his naval power on those of lesser rank. The only reason Hood keeps the man around is because he can get results unlike most people who was made an officer in the past decade. Gretna hardly has any true victories, but when he does, it's usually a large success, like the time he won a naval battle against a Covenant destroyer with just two frigates. However, this doesn't always make up for the Admiral's risk free nature.

"Your team?" questions Hood, "and might I ask who your team is Admiral?"

Gretna shrugs, "Oh just some ODSTs I picked up, nobody important."

He stops when Hood gives him an evil glare before saying, "At this point and age Admiral, every life is important, including the men you send into the fray."

Before Gretna could mutter a responds, a young navy man ran up to them, salutes and says, "Sirs, we have an inbound Pelican one mike out, their call signs and serial codes marks them as the Alpha One Squad sir."

Gretna instantly swells his chest as he replies with, "Thank you Warrant Officer," before turning back to Hood, "See, my task force is almost back with their cargo."

"And what, pray tell, is their cargo?" asks a slightly weary Hood.

Gretna only smiles as he says, "Now that's the question, isn't it?"

Hood just sighs before walking over to the guardrail and leans on it. The only good thing about this whole situation is that whatever it is, it's big. Hood can tell that Gretna is just giddy with joy over whatever it is that's coming.

He hears a low pitch whistle and looks up at the evening orange sky, dully noting the ocean softly lapse against the beach that the base is erected on. The runway is clear saving for a few deck personnel who are rushing back and forth in preparations to bring in an inbound flight.

With age eagle like eyes, Hood stares up into the sky, looking for any sign of an aircraft when he sees it. It's a green pelican, but he can instantly tell that there's something wrong. A small fire is burning on the left wing, black smoke is being pump somewhere from out of the rear and every so often the ship would tilt forward as if it's about to plunge into the sea but it would always leans its nose back and continues on its ways towards the base.

Hood begins to wonders whether this mission was a success or a disaster, either way, they'll learn of it soon enough.

Steadily, almost dramatically, the Pelican makes its way closer and closer to the airstrip. Finally, with it five yards away and a few feet in the air, it lowers its landing gear as it comes down to the runway.

Suddenly as soon as the wheels touched down, the left wheel snaps off, causing the aircraft to hit the asphalt. With its front and right gear shift still rolling, the left side of the Pelican is drag along the road, causing sparks to ignite and fly. The left side soon acts as an anchor, causing the Pelican to turn until its spinning out of control, resulting with the rest of the landing gear being ripped off. With a thunderous crash, the Pelican collapses on the ground and skids off the road for a few meters before finally coming to a halt, smoke now being emitted both from the cockpit and the rear.

Hood curses before rushing down from the raised platform he is standing on and hurries over to the downed bird where a rescue team is already hard at work.

The paramedics are wearing firefighting suits and are slowly tearing the door open, careful to ensure an inferno won't erupt due to the sudden presence of oxygen. However instead of flames, a hand shoots out and grabs a rescue man as the figure pulls itself out of the wreckage.

At first Hood thought the figure was covered in ash before realizing he is wearing a black armor set with an ODST helmet placed on the person's head, the blue visor shining brightly in the dying lights of the day.

A Corpsman tries to remove the helmet, but the trooper pushes him away and Hood hears the man say, "I'm good dude, get off of me."

While the naval doctor tries to examine the man, another trooper crawls out of the wreckage. He bends over with his hands on his knees, but when paramedics try to help him, he pushes them away like the Marine before him. He then turns back to the ship, reaches in, and pulls out another Trooper.

They gave each other a high five before turning to the ship, both reaching in, and yanks out a forth. But this man is different; he is wearing tattered civilian clothing, has cuts and bruises on his bearded face and is handcuffed from behind. Following him out is an ODST with a M7 SMG trained on the shackled person. Keeping the gun on the man, the ODST reaches behind him, back into the smoking Pelican and pulls out yet another trooper.

The squad rallies together and looks one another over for injuries before becoming aware that the famous fleet Admiral himself is standing a few feet away from them; watching. They all snap into more respectful postures, save for two who are keeping a close eye on the bound man.

One of the shock troopers, whose armor has a silver highlighter marking the top of his helmet, walks forward and snaps a salute, "Admiral Hood sir," the man said before looking to Hood's left, "Admiral Gretna, sir."

Hood turns to see the Rear Admiral who must have come up on his flank without being seen.

Gretna has a smug look on his face as he says, "Report Gunnery Sergeant."

The Sergeant switches to a more at ease stand before reporting, "Sir, we captured your man, hiding out in the Outback just as you said."

"Excellent," Gretna said as he waves the rest of the ODST team over. They walk forward while one lags behind, keeping his gun pointed at the prisoner's back. Another trooper grabs the man by his collar and kicks his legs, forcing the prisoner to a kneeling position once they are in front of the Admirals.

Gretna then gestures at the man as if he is unveiling a big surprise, "Admiral Hood, I give you Norman Wright."

Hood's eyes widen a bit before stepping forward to get a better look at the man. It is hard to identify the person with the messy and overgrown hair and beard, the blood and bruises didn't help either, nor the fading sun light.

As if sensing the Admiral rousing doubts, one of the troopers takes out a data pad and hands it to the Admiral. It shows the intergalactic terrorist Norman Wright, but in the picture he is clean shaven and had close cropped hair. Hood keeps glancing between the picture and the man before him, slowly seeing the resemblance; the black hair, the low cheek bones, the cleft in his chin and the fire of hatred and loathing in his dark brown eyes.

Slowly the gravity of the situation hits the Admiral. After twenty-five years, they finally caught their slippery foe. The man has been nothing but grief to the UNSC, he caused explosions, led raids, killed officials, and worse of all he forced the Navy to split its resources as it fought the Covenant on one hand and hunted him with the other, leading to the faltering of staples and men that was needed for the genocidal war that they just survived.

"Well Mr. Wright," Hood drawls out slowly, "I can't particularly say I'm happy to see you, but I am happy to see you will no longer be causing us any more trouble."

The man glares at Hood before lowering his eyes, whether in defeat or shame, the Admiral didn't know.

Hood then looks up at the ODST leader and says, "Good work Gunnery Sergeant, one less crack head to worry about."

It is then that Gretna steps forward and says, "Yes Hood, but need I remind you who it was I that gave the team their coordinates for the initial take down."

Hood does his best to keep his eyes from rolling as he says, "Yes, yes Gretna, very well done," he then returns his attention back to the Gunnery Sergeant, "how exactly did you nab Wright? From what I hear he is usually surrounded by his rag tag army."

"Ask him sir," the sergeant says and points with his thumb towards the trooper holding the machine gun to Wright's back, "the Lance Corporal was the one who grabbed him."

Hood turns to look at the soldier in question. He briefly looks up at Hood before returning his gaze back to watching the prisoner. The Lance Corporal seems to be reaching six foot status and from what the Admiral could see he has a somewhat skinny yet full frame, but that could just be his armor that appears to fill him out. He has on regular gear with no modifications added; even the highlighter on top of his head that most troopers would spray paint is the plain color of grey, the color that is standard issued. In short, there appears to be nothing really remarkable about the trooper.

Putting that aside, the Admiral walks closer to the Marine and asks, "Well, how did you do it son?"

The trooper is silent before replying in a shallow voice, "Lots of bullets, lots of luck and lots of experience."

This isn't the type of response the Admiral was expecting, he would have thought the Lance Corporal would be all to please to start bragging about making the biggest catch in the recent decade.

One of the other troopers steps up next to the Admiral and whispers in a rough voice, "Don't mind him sir, he has seen the worse side of the war first hand, it had a strong effect on him."

Hood slowly nods his understanding. It isn't uncommon to meet a person who was affected strongly in the Covenant war, there are even those who have apparently lost their sanity to the horrors they were exposed to. If this Lance Corporal saw that horror and yet is still here, soldiering on and making a difference as he just had, than maybe Hood could use him.

The Admiral looks at the trooper again and asks, "Was it difficult?"

The trooper is silent before saying "no."

"How many rebels did you have to face?" Hood asks next.

"…Unknown," the trooper replies.

"Make a guess," the Admiral says in a slightly exasperated voice.

With his helmet on Hood couldn't tell if the trooper is annoyed or in a state of shock from talking to the Admiral, but he soon answers dully, "sixty-three."

Hood's eyes went wide before turning to the Gunnery Sergeant who says, "just about sir, Rookie here took out a whole load of them single handily, we were all shooting, but he was the one rushing in, throwing grenades and slices whoever got in his way."

Hood mauls this over as he observes the trooper some more before asking, "Was it too difficult for you trooper?"

The ODST simply known as Rookie is silent before saying, "if you want it done, I'll get it done sir."

Hood feels his eyes slightly widening at these words, it was almost like he knew what Hood is thinking.

Deciding he shouldn't prolong it, he then says, "trooper, stand before me."

The ODSTs and even Admiral Gretna seems unsure what is happening, but the Rookie just shrugs, hands the SMG to the trooper standing next to him and walks forward and stands at attention before the Admiral.

They stood staring at each for a time; Hood in his crisp white suit and the Rookie in his dented armor.

Finally Hood speaks, "I am unsure if I am making a mistake or not, but one thing I am sure of is that we need leaders like you. Unafraid, uncompromising, and wiling to do what must be done no matter the price."

The trooper is silent before saying or rather ask, "Sir?"

Hood clarifies for the Lance Corporal, "I'm planning on making you a platoon Lieutenant, I know this is a big leap up the ladder, but like I said, we are short on good leaders; we need all the help we can get."

The surrounding audience stands in stun silence; even Gretna has his jaw hanging open. The Rookie may be a Marine, but they all know as Supreme Commander and hero of the UNSC Navy, Hood can promote any man he wants, and this is some promotion, to go from a grunt to a commanding officer is something rare.

Hood however keeps his attention on the Trooper before him who doesn't move or even appears to be breathing, making the Admiral unsure how he feels about this.

Finally the man simply known as Rookie asks, "Sir, when do I start?"

**Just to let you know this is like a side project to me, it's not really a primary focus of mine so it'll be updated here and there, if it becomes popular though I will try and update on a regular basis, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.**


	2. The News

**The News**

**Rio de Janeiro-January 17****th**** 2554**

The man known as Rookie collapses into his chair and releases an explosive sigh as he rubs his eyes.

"What a day," he mutters to himself.

Today his security team has been pulling double shifts and at the request of the Ambassador, they had to work with some of the Sangheili guards to signify their species alliance, an impossible feat considering both people still has deep grudges against one another.

Rookie spent most of the day breaking up would be fights and had to cool his team's temper as they were insulted throughout the day.

He sighs as he twists his seat around and gazes outside. The city shines brightly in greeting, the urban sprawl spreads out for miles around, but every so often there is a space here and there allowing some vegetation to grow, creating a balance of sorts between the works of men and the works of nature.

The beauty of the metropolis is what made Earth leaders decide this place was as good as any to build the embassy, that way the Sangheilis will be able to see human civilization on one hand and the works of nature on the other. However, that was before the urban center fell into hard times. Between ration shortages, lack of living spaces and the wide spread of diseases, the city wonder has been reduce to its knees. The only comforting thing about this is the fact that there isn't any other human cities doing any better than they are, at least Rio is still surround in its beautiful abundant rainforests.

Movement captures his eyes as he looks down from his second story position. Right below him at the closed gates a small group of protesters are starting to gather and begins throwing trash at the building.

The Lieutenant sighs once more before he touches his ear piece and says, "Smyth."

"Yeah Rook," a rough voice responds.

"Hippies, primary gate," is all that the Rookie says.

"Roger, we're on it."

Rookie looks down and watches what transpire. The small mob are still chucking garbage at the embassy when the door at the rear of the building opens and out files a dozen security guards in riot gear. As always the security team orders the people home. Almost like a routine the people start to insult the team, "Split-lip lovers," "traitors," and "government pigs." When they don't disperse, the team moves in and uses their shields to push them on their way, this almost always work. Almost, Rookie remembers last month when a boy, who was full of zealous, rushed forward and buried a knife in one of Rook's men's leg. The guard survived, but he was furious at being taken down.

"Those idiots," Rookie mutters to himself as the protesters finally start to leave. Don't they understand? Humanity needs this alliance, Rook isn't too fond of it either, but it's either an alliance or war. And he has seen war's true color, those stoners hadn't. If they're so confident humanity can win in a war against Sanghelios, why don't they volunteer for service while the Covenant war veterans watch, let's see how they cope in a war.

He turns away from the window and pushes himself towards his desk. It's quite plain, made of plastic and colored grey, the only things on the desk is a lamp and Rook's data pad. The Lieutenant doesn't believe in decorations, it has been his experience that if it's not important, then it shouldn't be there.

However he sometimes he wonders about getting a frame for his one and only picture of his family, but then what? Display it for the world to see? Rook prefers to keep all personal information to himself, it's all he has left of his past life and he doesn't want it to be strip away from him.

He reaches for his pad and activates it. He instantly goes to the news network and sees what's the situation is like in the northern hemisphere. It's not good. Moscow, Quebec, Juno and countless other cities are under siege by Covenant forces. Almost out of instinct, Rook looks up at the skies but it looks as gorgeous as ever with the afternoon sun lightly beating down on the city.

He returns his gaze to the pad and continues to read. Though the Covenant isn't as strong as they were a year ago, the Brutes, the current dominate race of the Covenant, are attacking bluntly and savagely. The UNSC was caught completely off guard by the sudden invasion force, even as Rook reads the report, the UNSC Navy is combating against the Covenant ships in the upper atmosphere, keeping them away from the ground, but that doesn't stop the landing parties of the Covenant army from dropping to Earth.

They are now entering the second week of combat and more Marines are being poured in, from the new kids just out of basics to the battered veteran ODSTs.

Rook's eyes linger on the acronym. He shouldn't have accepted the promotion from Hood, but it's not like he had a choice. When Hood said Platoon leader, Rook thought he meant for another team of troopers, not the head security chief of the southern Sanghelios Embassy.

He wonders what Buck or the rest of the guys are doing. They're probably heading out to the front lines. At that thought he opens his inbox. Sure enough there's a message from Taylor, or "Dutch" as he is called among the team.

_Heading out, can't say where, just somewhere cold…in the north...won't be able to talk, see you soon._

Dutch, Buck and Mickey have been sending him messages almost every week. He stopped reading the ones from Romeo, all of his are full of details of them going on dangerous ops and full of wise cracks about how he envisions life behind a desk. Rook barely sees them anymore; despite that, Buck had just invited him to his wedding next month. Though honored, Rook has been thinking about declining the offer, big parties just weren't his thing, but now it looks like he has to wait a few months until Buck gets back to read his reply.

Suddenly the pad dings and a new message appears under the name of "Boss."

This gets a raised eyebrow from Rookie, why would the Ambassador be messaging him? As far as he knows, nothing bad has gone amiss…any that he knows of.

He clicks the 'open' button and reads the brief message.

_My office. Now._

This can't be good. Rook barley rises out of his chair when the pad dings again. He checks it and sees another message, this time from Sophie, a secretary who lets him know if there's anything wrong.

The message is far from troublesome, but not for Rookie.

_New Sangheili waiting here; says you're its new protectee._

Its, Rookie dully notices. Sophie is one of the humans who works in the embassy, but who also has a grudge against the Sangheilis and any other species that isn't human. Despite this though, she fulfils her duties, like letting him know of his new "bodyguard."

Rook finds the whole thing ridiculous, but he doesn't dare voice it, especially in front of the Arbiter who was the one that gave him the guard. The most exciting thing that happened at the embassy was when an angry protester snuck up to the Arbiter and actually tried to shoot him a few months ago. Rook saw the movements and moved to intercept, but was too late when the trigger was pulled. So instead he jumped in front of the Sangheili and took the blast for him. The bullet hit him in the gut, but he remain standing long enough to shoot back, nailing the man in the head before Rook passed out.

When he awoke in the medical wing, he felt like a fool when a chuckling security guard informs Rook that the Arbiter had his shields activated, so there was really no threat. However, Arbiter stopped by to see Rook, which surprised him greatly. Arbiter then told him though his shields was on, he was still grateful nevertheless for what the Rookie has done for him, praising him as an honorable warrior which causes Rook, who guiltily admitted to Buck one day, to swell with pride.

However, he was quickly deflated at Arbiter's next words. As a gift of sorts and in a way to return the favor, Arbiter proclaims from that day forward, Rookie will have a bodyguard of his own who will protect him and ensure he will have a long lasting life for years to come.

This has been a running gag among the security officers for months now; a bodyguard with his own bodyguard.

Rook talked to the Ambassador about it, but considering the alliance between the two species is still delicate, the humans wishes not to do anything that may insult the Sangheilis, so whether he likes it or not, Rookie is stuck with an alien for the rest of his life, who will shadow him at work to his very home. A major shock to someone of Rookie's background who doesn't have any friends; save for his comrades from Buck's team.

His first bodyguard was a Sangheili by the name of Kunar, a rather tactless person who invaded Rookies privacy. The Sangheili is always causing disturbances, at Rookie's work and at his apartment complex. He was also grouchy, moody and displayed open hostilities towards Rook. Finally Rookie cracked and demanded that the Ambassador talks to Arbiter, if he can't remove his bodyguard decree or whatever it is that the Arbiter did, the least he could do was a find a replacement for Kunar.

Now it looks like that replacement has arrived. Rookie sighs as he heads out the door, he might as well pick up the Sangheili while he is en route to the ambassadors office. Hopefully this bodyguard isn't as hostile as the last one.

* * *

Rila is excited, no nervous, excited; she couldn't really tell.

It takes all of her restraints not to jump up and down in excitement. She keeps mumbling to herself that she is now a Sangheili adult and should carry herself with pride. Yet at the moment she feels as if excitement is the thing carrying her.

She has been dreaming of this, to explore the stars and get some adventure in the process. Though she has been told there are few and little scuffles here on Earth, the fact that she may finally see some combat electrifies her.

The invasion of the Covenant in the north also fuels her spirit as well.

She rocks herself a little on her feet as her gaze continues to search the room. It looks nice, clean, but what catches her attention is the fact that it's entirely alien. The strange wooden floor, the plastic like walls and the strange decorations that adore the circular room is all so different compared to the materials used on Sanghelios.

She looks back at the other female that is occupying the room. She is seated behind a desk and appears to be working on some odd monitor, clicking in commands on a board that is lying in front of her at extraordinary speed. She appears to be almost an elder, her tired and lined face reveals that much, but Rila also notes with amazement that her head is comprised of black and grey fur and she appears to be wearing some short of charm around her neck.

Rila considers walking over and asking the female some questions, aside from their greeting they exchanged earlier, she didn't say anything. However that idea dies when the female finally glances up at Rila. The Sangheili offers her a warm smile but is surprised when the human's eyes harden before looking back at her work. Surprised and slightly hurt from this unprovoked gesture, Rila continues to look around the room, observing whatever strikes her fancy.

"Sophie."

"Afternoon Rook."

Rila turns her head and sees a male coming out of one of the hallway. He is tall by human standards she guesses, but he is still shorter than her. She couldn't help but grin; this is what she likes abut Earth, for once she is taller than almost everybody. The male is wearing some sort of light body armor over a blue shirt, has a weapon on his hip and is wearing a black cloth that is wrapped around each of his legs. She also notes that his footwear seems to be shining as well.

The male's expression is…solemn. He walks and stands with tension obvious in his movements. His eyes are dark at the moment, making it hard for her to see and the fur on his head is a light brown as well. His face gives nothing away, but if she has to guess, he is an adult much older in summers than she is. She has no idea why, but it's as if this human's very presence demands that she gives him her direct attention.

The female, who she assumes is Sophie, points a finger in Rila's direction. The warrior looks in her direction and immediately her exhilaration dies. Did she do something wrong, why was she being pointed out to a capable warrior?

She feels herself tense when the warrior walks towards her. She feels like reaching down and grabbing her plasma rifle, but she is only allowed to do that if she is in imminent danger and if it's absolutely necessary.

The human stands before her and looks her body over. Normally she would feel rather protective of herself if a male looks at her in such a manner, but this human doesn't appear to be too focusing on her body…as far as she can tell.

Rookie looks his new bodyguard over and couldn't help but feel that there's something…different about this one.

Its armor is blue, which is that of a minor, a contrast to Kunar's silver color rank. It doesn't carry an energy sword, only a plasma rifle, pistol and a few grenades. The emblem on its shoulder shows something that looks like a sun with four slashes crisscrossing over it with a tint of green added in. Aside from that, the only other thing that is different is the body, it's smaller compared to other Sangheilis, reaching about six foot eleven status, almost seven foot tall. And the body…there's like a blue hue radiating off of it, while the limbs are slimmer, he also notices the hips and legs are a lot curvier as well.

Is it even possible? Could this Sangheili be…?

Finally he takes a deep breath and asks, "Are you my new…guard?"

His voice is low and at the last word sound like he is in pain. Rila however decides its best to answer the question so she nods.

The human appears to be in deep thought before asking, "What's your name?"

Rila holds her head up high as she announces her family name, "my name is Rila, Rila Sa'u."

Rookie notices her voice is different as well; most Sangheilis voices are rough and sound like they chew on the words before spitting it out. However this Sangheili, Rila he remembers, voice is softer and smoother in nature.

Being tactful has never been Rooks strong suit, so he just asks, "Are you a woman?"

Rila feels startled at this. Don't these humans know she is a female? Is she the first Sangheili female these people have ever seen? She suddenly becomes nervous and looks down. The males of her species does not approve her being place in the way of battle and does not accept her as a fellow warrior. Will this human treat her the same way?

With her eyes still downcast, she nods in confirmation.

There is a silence before he says, "I'm needed in the Ambassadors office, I guess you should come too."

She looks up, startled that he said nothing about her gender. Instead he turns and starts walking down another hallway to his left.

Rila is quick to follow but pauses and turns to the stoic female and says, "Farewell…Sophie."

The human gives her another hard look so Rila turns and quickly follows the male…her new charge.

_Sophie is not going to be happy about that_, Rookie thinks before turning his mind back to the Sangheili following close behind. She, and he was calling her it most of the time, is quite different from Kunar. Kunar slouched, glares at everything and pretty much tries to ignore the fact that he surrounded by humanity. Rila however looks like she is…bouncing? Sure enough when he looks back, Rila looks extremely thrilled. She keeps one eye on Rook, but the other is busy looking at everything and everyone. As they pass a janitor, she happily greeted him, only to receive a shock look from the man.

Rook doesn't blame him, this is probably the first and only friendly Sangheili in history at the moment, even the Arbiter isn't this pleasant.

"Excuse me sir," Rila suddenly asks, putting some focus on him, not all of it considering she is still glancing around.

"Yes?" he responds.

"What's your name?"

Rook stops, which was a bad idea because Rila bumps into him and almost runs him over before Rook is able to regain his footing.

He looks back at the Sangheili who looks embarrassed at the moment as he asks, "they didn't tell you my name?"

She shrugs in answer, "Kunar just told me to ask you and you'll tell me."

Kunar, Rook wants to cuss out the alien, but with Rila there he is sure she'll be offended by the foul language he will utter. So instead he thinks darkly of his former guard, Kunar never asked Rook for his name nor does he seem to care.

He finally sighs and says, "Rookie."

"Rookie?" she asks in a confused voice, "I've never heard a name like that before."

He shrugs, "that's what people call me; you can call me Rookie, Rook, or sir if you like."

"Alright," she says and beams at him.

Slightly unnerved, Rook continues walking, unsure of what to think of his new Sangheili companion when a question wanders into his mind.

"Rila," he finally say, "What else did Kunar tell you?"

The female beams again as she replies, "He said you are very talkative, likeable and a amusing person."

Rook tries not to allow his own growl out, looks like Kunar gave Rila the wrong idea about him.

"Well I'm not so sure he was being serious," she admits to Rook's relief, "but I hope that doesn't mean we can't be friends."

Friends….

Rookie turns around and says sternly, "Listen, I know you're excited and all, but we are not friends, we are associates, that's all. I don't know about you, but I didn't join the military to make friends, I joined to fight and I suggest you do the same. If you try and make companions out here in a battlefield then you'll truly understand what it means to be broken as you watch them die in front of your eyes, understood?"

Rila is silent for a few moments before lowering her head and says, "Yes…sir."

* * *

Rila remains silent for the rest of the journey until they finally reach the elevator and begin to ascend to the tenth floor. She is no longer looking around in enthusiasm or smiling and for some reason, this just leaves a cold and guilty feeling in Rook.

Finally while they wait to arrive at their destination, he couldn't take the emotion anymore and says, "Sorry."

"Huh?" she asks and turns her head to look at him.

He takes a deep breath, feeling like he is in an unknown territory as he mumbles, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound cruel…I just don't have a lot of friends so when you said that…I guess I kind of lost it."

"Lost what?" she questions as she peers at him curiously.

"My senses I guess" he said with a shrug, "I've just…keep losing them so I just stop making some…"

Great, now he sounds like a heartbroken twerp. He wonders how he can amend his steel appearance when Rila speaks.

"I am sorry to hear that Rookie," it's strange to hear her call him that in a serious tone, "I've never been in combat before, so I guess I wouldn't know."

He eyes her considerably before sighing, "So does this mean you don't hate me anymore?"

She turns to him with a look of surprise in her eyes, "I never hated you Rookie…I was a little sad thinking you would be like this for as long as we're together."

Rookie chuckles lightly, "Please don't say that, you make us sound like we're a married couple," he sees her still looking confused so he says; "you make us sound like we're mates."

Her eyes widen as she says, "I didn't mean to make you sound like such...you are surly desirable Rookie," Rook feels his face flush as he looks at the alien beside him. Her eyes are now huge as she stutters, "I-I-what I meant was that you are desirable by human standers, but no sane Sangheili would ever take you as a mate."

His eyebrow arches at this.

"No! I mean you are desirable by both species," she says sounding more and more flustered by the second, "Not that I find you desirable, we've just met, I'm sure any other Sangheili women would love to mate with you-Not that I'm saying I wouldn't- No! I would never mate with you-I-I-I mean-"

Rookie just starts laughing, he couldn't help it. This is the most embarrassing sex talk that he has been a part of, considering its about him, but seeing Rila looking so distressed is hilarious. Soon Rila starts to laugh with him; her strong yet hearty chuckles were so alien and strange that it just made Rook double over. They are both laughing so hard it isn't long before they are wheezing for air when the doors finally open. Still chuckling, Rookie leads the way out, with a still self-conscious Rila following close behind.

Silence envelopes them again, but unlike before, this one is comforting and relaxing.

"What's this?" Rookie turns to see what Rila is referring to. She is looking intently at a rather colorful urn with a flowery design decorating it.

"It's a vase," she gives him a vacant look before he says; "basically a fancy flower holder used more for decorations than anything else."

"Where's the flowers?" she questions and peers inside the urn like a small curious child.

Rookie just smirks, "I don't know, that's something you need to ask the designer I guess," with that he turns and starts walking again.

The Ambassador's office is a few feet away and yet in that small amount of space Rila somehow finds something to question for every centimeter they took.

"Why is the light hanging so low?"

"What is powering this device?"

"What is the floor made of?"

"What's this?"

"What's that?"

"Why does that male smell wired?"

Rookie never been so relieved in his life when they reach their destination; a set of double doors that is being protected by two of his security guards. They eyed Rila suspiciously but Rook signals them to stand down as he approaches the doors. He pauses when he hears footfalls close to him and turns to face Rila.

"Rila, this is official business, I'm going to ask you to stay out here, ok?" he can see disappointment in her eyes but she nods anyways. Then Rookie did something he couldn't understand, he smiled at her before entering the room.

* * *

Rila falls back to her old routine, standing still against the wall with the other guardsmen as she waits for Rookie to return.

However her youth starts to show as she soon loses focus and starts observing the room and the people walking to and fro. Occasionally a fellow Sangheili will walk by and she is happy to say hello in her native language, but aside from the return of her greeting, they pretty much remain silent and continued on their way, as did everyone else.

Twice she tries to pull the human guards into a conversation, but twice they refused and only look at her occasionally.

"By the forerunners" Rila finally mutters under her breath in Sangheili, "how can things here be so dull?"

"This isn't the battlefield young one," a familiar voice says behind her, "here people actually work."

Rila spins around and smiles at the delightful surprise, "sister!" she cries.

Standing a few feet away from Rila is her sister, Fali. Fali, like Rila, chose to help strengthen the alliance between the humans and Sangheili, but both chose different paths. Rila chose the path of a warrior, to her family's disapproval, while Fali became a diplomat. She looks as noble as any woman can come, tall, strong and beautiful; the polar opposite to Rila, but despite this, the two sisters are close to one another.

Rila steps forward to greet her, ignoring her sister's Sangheili body guards who gave censorious looks at the female dressed as a warrior.

"Fali," Rila says as she bows slightly before her older sibling, "what are you doing here? Weren't you on Sangheilos? What's it like back home? How's mother? How's Uncle Lax'e? What-"

Fali presses a hand against one side of Rila's mandibles and folds it shut, causing her other jaws to close. Fali sighs, "Ah…blissful silence," she teases.

Rila shakes her sister's hand off and releases an annoyed growl. Her sister merely giggles as she points further down the hall she has just come from, "I wish to speak to you sister, in private."

Rila becomes serious as she indicates the doors behind her, "I can't; I…I just started..."

Fali eyes widen as she says, "Ah, I should have known it was you who volunteered to baby a human."

Rila grunts, "and I take it you like to be babied sister?" she asks as she gestures at the two large guards on either side of her.

The two sisters share another laugh before Fali says, "I'm sure you're human is safe, these two will most certainly protect him for the time being."

The pair of human guards stared at the small group of Sangheili. They can't understand their language, but they knew by the way they are looking and waving towards them that they are speaking about them.

Rila considers for a moment before nodding in answer. Fali smiles as she leads the way down the hall with the two Sangheili sentinels walking close behind them. Now they are silent as they stroll through the corridor until Fali opens a door and motions for Rila to enter while she orders her guards to stay outside.

Rila looks around the room in interest. It's a blend of Sangheili antiques and human architect. There is a Sangheili bed in the corner, furniture in the middle and a dining table to the left. The windows offers a good view of the human city and the mountain with the giant statue of a man with his arms held open.

After she takes the room in, Rila moves to the window and peers out. In the street she can see humans in their strange vehicles driving this way and that. Meanwhile even more humans crowd the walkways on either side of the road as they head off into different directions. As she watches, the single sun begins to set and the multiple lights on the road and in the city begins to lights up. She watches in awe as the tall buildings switches on its lights, casting a beautiful reflection in the water.

"Beautiful sight is it not sister?" comments Fali as she joins Rila at the window.

"It's majestic," agrees Rila when she notices out of the corner of her eye that the huge statue is now washed in a large shower of light. She points out the large sculpture, "who is that supposed to be? A great warrior?"

Fali follows her gaze and shakes her head, "I forgotten the name, but that is suppose to be the statue of their God's son who walked among them a long time ago."

"Really?" Rila asks as she squints at the figure for more details.

"Ask your human companion, I'm sure he knows his culture better than I," Fali said.

Remembering she now has an important task on hand, Rila turns to her sister ad asks, "what is it you wish to speak of Fali?"

Fali appears to be in deep thought before finally she turns to Rila and says, "I just want you to be careful."

Rila tilts her head, not really understanding.

Fali sighs as she starts to speak, "The humans are complicated creatures, all of them are of different minds and opinions, and none are truly united."

"Just like us," chimes in Rila as she remembers the occasional Keep war that happens on Sanghelios.

Fali shakes her head, "You don't understand, they can be strongly committed."

"Committed to what?" questions Rila.

"Whatever it is that their minds deem important," here she looks at her sister, "and right now they see us Sangheilis as a threat and may take action against us."

"But we're allies-" Rila tries to counter.

"Like I said, they are independent creatures," continues Fali, "I hear that there may be a human civil war over this, whether they want an alliance with the Sangheili people or not."

"But we apologized, doesn't that make thing up?" questions Rila.

Fali shakes her head, whether in conflict or embarrassment of her sister naïve nature she doesn't know, "We killed millions of them sister, billions even, men, women, and children, families, most of whom were burned alive."

Rila flinches at the image in her mind before she asks, "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm, telling you this as a warning," her sister continues, "be cautious around humans, many of them seek revenge and they are willing to kill," here she looks at her, "especially the ones who have been trained in combat."

It takes a while before Rila eventually sees what her sister is saying, "You think my charge may…kill me?" she asks in a small voice, unable to believe that the human she had laughed with would do such a thing. But then she remembers how cold he acted after they first met, how he didn't speak to her and how he bereted her that they won't be friends.

Her breathing becomes hitch as she thinks about it. His well-toned muscles, the way he scans the room, the way he walks, the fact that he is armed; he is a warrior, one who looks as if he has already killed and may be ready to do it again.

Fali sees the worry and fear on her sister's face and instantly regrets telling her sister such horrid things. She thinks a moment before speaking again.

"I hear your charge saved the Arbiter's life, is that true?"

Rila gulps a couple times before answering quietly, "yes."

Fali lays an arm on her sister's and says, "They say the male is honorable and devoted to our cause, if this is true, then you have nothing to fear."

Rila thinks for a moment before saying, "I hope he is, he's just been so…quiet."

"Quiet?" asks her amused sister, "so he doesn't answer your questions?"

Rila shifts around a bit before saying, "he does."

"Then he's not that silent," she teases and feels happy when she sees her sister smile as well at her jib.

Silence soon befalls them until Rila speaks, "why are you here sister? I thought you were helping the humans on Sanghelios."

Fali nods her head, "I was, but they decided a female here may help the bond between our people." She then remembers her other questions so she next says, "Mother and Uncle Lax'e are doing well, they are keeping themselves busy by helping with the younglings and Sanghelios is fine, but the summer is blistery hot, and it's no better here apparently."

Rila giggles a bit, "True," she said, "But I find Earth exotic, it's so different from Sanghelios, the people, the plants, the buildings, even the stars looks different," at that she looks up at the night sky where a few sparkling diamonds just begins to reveal themselves.

Fali nods her head in agreement, "It's nice" she agrees, "but do you know what this planet is missing?"

"What?" asks a curious Rila.

"Males," her sister says lowly. This causes Rila to laugh, but she actually became embarrassed when she remembers the conversation she had with Rookie in the…elevator she believes it is called. She decides not to tell her sister of the incident, she might get the wrong idea.

"Any particular male in mind?" Rila questions but knows the answer. Her sister is currently being courted by a warrior from the Xernxs Keep.

She can see Fali becoming uncomfortable as well as she look away and mumbles, "maybe."

Rila laughs once more at her sister's antics before Fali asks, "and you my sister? Any males cross your mind recently?"

Rila instantly feels her mood becomes sadden as she looks down, "No…what male could possible want me?"

Rila is small for her age, which many have found amusingly strange. She may be young now, but she should have grown a couple more units, and now she is smaller than most Sangheilis. She is also quite talkative as most people say, however she once overheard some males saying that she is annoying. She has elegant robes but unlike her sister she has no graceful beauty, a fact that many would-be suitors keeps telling her. With really no other option, she became part of the home guard of her keep, but when she heard of an assignment open to anyone on Earth, she immediately took it. Now here she is on the alien planet, alone.

Rila feels someone nuzzling her neck and looks up just as her sister pulls back and says, "don't worry young one, you're just too good for most males on our world."

Rila smiles a little but looks away. She doesn't care if her suitor is handsome, fit or a warrior, she just wants someone who care for her just as Fali's suitor cares for her.

"What is it that your charge is doing anyway?" Fali asks in an attempt to lighten the attitude of the conversation.

Rila shakes her head, "I don't know, he just said it is official business."

* * *

"What?" Rookie questions; too stun to really believe what he has just heard.

The Ambassador, a rather elderly white haired, broad shoulder man who was built like a rugby player nods his head in confirmation.

"You're heading back to active duty chief, you're going to be a platoon leader, a real one," he says with a light smile at the end.

Rook still couldn't believe. He was just thinking about what it would be like to be back on the front line, and now he's being told its going to come true. He has been hoping and praying sometimes to go back to war; most people found that odd, others think he just wants to be a hero, but that's not the case. Just as some people were born to be athletes, he was born to be a fighter. It's in his blood, he doesn't feel comfortable unless there's a rifle in his hand, doesn't feel thrilled unless he is in a SOEIV drop pod and he feels like he's with the best people alive as he works with them on the field of war.

He feels his body getting hyped up at the prospect of wearing his ODST combat armor again. The thought of getting his boots dirty again is almost a hard concept to grasp. He was going back.

However he takes a minute to ponder, he looks down at his shoes as he sits in his chair while the Ambassador sits in front of him behind his desk. Finally Rookie looks up and says, "Sir, things are bad up north aren't they?"

The Ambassador nods his head wearily, "Yes, in fact, it's getting worse."

He gets up and walks to a map of the world that is hanging on the right wall. The Ambassador takes a marker and draws a line between the artic and the rest of the world.

"This was where the Covenant was for the first few days," the ambassador says.

Now he draws a line that takes up a great potion of the continents of North American and Europe, "This was where they were last week."

He sighs as he draws another line, this one taking over most of the bulk of Europe and North America, "and this…is where they are now."

Rookie swallows slowly. The Covenant doesn't have enough ships to glass the planet, but that doesn't mean they can't destroy it. Looks like the Brutes were serious when they said they'll tear the human's world apart with their bare hands.

The Ambassador looks like he has aged a couple of years when he looks back at Rook and says, "I've read your files, you survived the worst battles of the war; Luna, Reach, and New Mombasa, if you were taller, I would have mistaken you for a Spartan," he finishes with a smile.

Rook smiles in return before looking back at the map as he asks, "And Smyth will be the new chief?"

The ambassador nods, "correct."

Rook looks up and says, "When do I meet the platoon?"

The Ambassador smiles, "Tomorrow, at the airfield you will be taken to the UNSC _Shanghai, _once on board you will get your platoon and from there it's all up to the Corps to decide where you will go."

Rookie stands, "I think it's best if I head home and get some rest then."

The other man nods gravely, "you're going to need it."

Rookie turns on his heel and was about to leave when he pauses and looks back at the Ambassador, "Sir, will Rila be quartered with the other Sangheili guards?"

"Rila?" The Ambassador asks, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"My bodyguard," Rook clarifies, "She just arrived today."

"She?" he asks again looking startled.

Impatiently Rookie nods, "Yes, she, and where will _she _be quartered sir?"

The Ambassador thinks for a moment before saying, "With you I suppose."

There is silence in the room until Rookie says, "That's not funny sir."

"I'm serious Rook," The Ambassador, "It's a life debt, when the Arbiter said your guard will be going everywhere you go he means _everywhere_."

"So she'll be coming with me into battle?" he asks.

The Ambassador nods.

"Sir, that's not a good idea," Rook tries to explain, "She's young, inexperience, and the ODSTs are the best of the best and we work by a whole different set of rules compared to other military branches."

"I know," the Ambassador said, "I can't remember the exact numbers of ODSTs I've met who said the same thing, but the fact remains, unless you wish to disrespect the Arbiter for his generosity, than this Sangheili is going into war with you, whether you like it or not."

There is silence once again before Rookie say, "This sucks," with that he exits out of the office without saying good bye to the Ambassador.

Rookie stands outside the office and releases a held in breath. Looks like he's heading into war with luggage; he never had luggage before.

As he looks up he realizes that the female he is thinking about isn't presence.

He turns to one of the sentries, "Where is the Sangheili that accompanied me here?"

The guard points to the left, "She went that way with another Sangheili, a diplomat from the looks of it."

Rookie hopes this isn't going to happen in the battlefield, he being somewhere while the one who's supposed to be watching over him wanders off.

"Thanks," he grunts to the guard before walking down the indicated passage. He notices that this is the living quarters for essential Sangheili personnel; this nakes him feel as if he is stumbling onto private property.

He has no idea which room Rila could be in, but he then sees a pair of Sangheili sentinels standing watch over a particular door, he might as well ask.

The Sangheilis look at Rookie as he approaches and he couldn't help but tense. The war is over and they are allies now, but he doesn't know if he'll ever fully trust these aliens, including Rila; this could be a problem for them and his platoon if they can't fully trust each other.

He approaches the nearest guard and asks, "Have you seen a female Sangheili almost my height and wearing blue body armor?"

The Sangheili nods its head, probably thinking it could avoid talking to the human.

"Where?" Rookie demands.

The Sangheili gestures to the door.

"Could you go get her, we need to go," Rook says rather sternly.

The two Sangheilis turn to one another and mumble together in thier language, resulting with the both of them glancing at Rook and laughing.

Rook crosses his arms and says, "Will you get a move on, we're in a hurry."

The Sangheili he spoke to snarls before opening the door part way and says something in Sangheili. Rookie really should try and make an effort to learn their native tongue.

When the guard finishes speaking there is a loud thumping noise, a crash and the sound of falling furniture. Both Rook and the second guard tries to peer in to see what is happening when Rila appears in the door, breathing hard and looking worried.

Rook looks over her shoulder and sees a mess made in a perfect line; it looks like Rila was on the other side of the room and rushed over when he asked for her, leaving behind a overturn table and chair.

"Rookie," she finally says with a puff, "I apologize for my absence, I didn't mean to leave, I just thought you were occupied and-"

Rook holds up his hand, "Forget it Rila, we have far more worse things to talk about."

He notices her mandibles are starting to quiver a bit and her hands are starting to fumble with one another.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Rook says and he can see the relief in her eyes before he says, ""I've been summon back to duty in the UNSC and ordered to the fight in the north…and since we're stuck together that means you're coming too."

Her eyes widen, but before she could say anything he heard a loud voice say, "What!"

Rooks looks over Rila's shoulder again and now notices another Sangheili in a flowery robe behind her. The Sangheili looks about the same height as that of its species, which is seven feet, but he notes the high pitch voice and colorful garmen; this must be another female, one who he has never seen before.

He unconsciously compares the two alien females; Rila is shorter, leaner and of course is ready for combat compared to the other.

Rila turns back to the female inside and they both spoke rapidly to each other, using their hands and making a lot of gestures. Rookie couldn't understand what they are saying, but he's pretty sure he can paint an idea with what is happening. The robed female seems to be arguing about Rila since most of the gestures were aimed at her while Rila seems to be defending herself and is gesturing at her weapons belt. If Rook has to guess, this female is connected to Rila somehow and seems to care for her wellbeing; like a mother towards a child.

Finally Rila ends the conversation and points out Rook. The female fixes a glare on him and he feels himself stiffen. Somehow he got involved and the female doesn't like it.

The said female seems to march to Rook and he feels his body loosen as if it's getting ready for a fight before the female halts and stands in front of the human.

She scowls at him for a while before saying, "Since you are the one taking her into battle, she is your responsibility to care for."

"Sister!" Rila finally says, "I'm a fully grown woman-"

The female who Rila has identified as her sister turns and barks at her, "Barely! You became a woman just a summer ago."

The two Sangheili sentinels seem to chuckle at this as Rila lowers her head in what Rookie takes for either embarrassment or shame.

Rook suddenly feels an urge to defend her, but before he got the chance the sister turns back to him and says, "You're the reason why she is going human, a young who hasn't even been in combat yet, so you are to care for her."

Rook frowns, "Wait a minute," he says, "She's my bodyguard, so surly she knows how to-"

"Keep her safe," the sister snarls at him, "promise me you will keep her safe."

Keep her safe in a war? That's like asking him to keep snow from melting in the Sahara.

"Promise me," Rila's sister said once more.

Rookie looks into her eyes about to make a comeback but was struck dumb. Despite her ferocious nature, the Sangheili's eyes are full of pleading. She is this way because she is afraid and feels protective over her sibling. Just like him and his little brother before…

He shakes away the thought and sighs before he looks back at the female sister and says in a near whispered voice, "I promise."

* * *

"What's that?"

"A light post."

"What's that?"

"A fire hydrate."

"What's that?"

Rookie made a hiss of disgust as he bends down and picks up a rock.

"A rat," he says before throwing the stone at the vermin. It misses by a few centimeters, but it was close enough to send the animal scampering away.

Rookie curses lightly, for a trained marksman that was horrible, he hopes he is still a good shot once he gets his hands back on a rifle.

He and Rila are walking the streets of Rio on their way to his apartment. Rook saved enough money to buy a car, but he considers it pointless considering he lives a few blocks away from the embassy and a convenience store where he buys his groceries and orders things from their catalog. Besides, once he is done in the military he hopes to move away to a desolate part of the Earth and live on his own, maybe in a forest or something.

Usually Rook would be back at his pad in about five minutes, but he slowed down considerably so that Rila could have a chance to look around the neighborhood. He wouldn't do stuff like this for other people, but he feels like he should as he remembers the way she looked when she left her sister. He suppose being young is insulting to the Sangheili but he refrains from asking her.

He couldn't help but smile as her enthusiasm as she takes everything in like a puppy. She told him aside from the cities within the keeps, the Sangheili doesn't live in close proximity of one another. Rook wonders how much spare space the Sangheili had, because the humans could sure use it considering that Earth is being forced to accommodate the needs for almost 20 billion people, including the ones living on the colony on Mars.

"That's a nice view," Rila said brining Rookie out of his thoughts. Rila is staring at the Rio skyline as the twilight sets in, casting a beautiful portrait in the water.

Rook also notices that Rila looks surprisingly beautiful at the moment with the twilight back ground. It does feel a little awkward walking with her, but if she was a few inches shorter, he would have put his arm around her and-

He shakes his head, _what's wrong with you_, he shouts at his mental state. Probably fatigue from the long surprising day he suspects.

As they walk they occasionally pass a pedestrian who would stare before turning and sprints away. If Rila is bothered by this she doesn't show it. However the occasional car will go by and the driver will honk his or her horn at them.

"Why do they do this?" she finally questions after the twentieth car honks at them.

"We use horns to let the person in front know he or she is moving too slow or just to get their attention," he isn't lying, but he knew that's not the main reason why so many people are doing it.

They heard another honk and Rila comments, "A lot of people seem to be moving slowly."

Rookie could only chuckle and shakes his head.

Finally they are approach the housing complex while Rila asks another one of her questions.

"So you live with other humans?" she asks.

"Sort of," Rook says, "we live in our own separate sections; I have a room on the top floor for instance."

She ponders this for a moment before she asks, "But how do you-"

Suddenly a small projectile flies in from behind and cuts her off. It hits the side if her face, grazing it and causing a thin line of blue blood to be drawn. She grabs a light post for support, stunned by the unforeseen attack.

Rook turns around and spots the offender. Three yards away is a teenager who seems to be pumping his fist in victory.

"Beat it squirt!" an angry Rook calls.

"Make me hinge-head lover!" the adolescent calls back and makes a rude hand gesture.

Rookie reaches into his holster and draws his Magnum pistol, pulling the hammer back as he does so. The boy's eyes widen as he sees Rook draw the weapon before fleeing. Rook levels his pistol, aims it in the middle of the boy's back where he knows the bullet will hit the heart and…stops.

He looks down at his gun, his primed loaded gun, before holstering it. He isn't allowed to shoot civilians, especially kids, but the sudden attack on Rila made it almost instinct for him to defend her. Was it the promise he made earlier the source of it?

Putting that aside, Rookie walks over to Rila to see how she is doing. She is now steady on her feet and has a hand press up against her cheek.

"Are you alright?" he asks as he stands in front of her.

She turns her heads away before saying, "I'm fine."

Rookie doesn't believe her, he tries to move in front of her again but she turns once more.

"Rila" Rook begins, but she shakes her head.

"I'm fine Rookie," she says stubbornly.

Rook however moves forward and places both of his hands on either side of her face. She freezes when he forces her to look into his eyes as he stares back. His gaze locks on to her dark eyes, soon he wonders what color they are before taking in the rest of her features. He could see into her mouth and see the rows of sharpedn teeth but oddly enough he isn't afraid. Her skin appears to be grey in nature, but in this light its hard to tell.

He pulls Rila's hand away from her cheek and he looks at it. It's a nice long cut with blue blood still oozing from the breakage, but it doesn't look that bad.

"You're alright," he says softly as he wipes the small stream of blood away with his thumb while his hands continue to hold her head still. He then looks back into her eyes and…he is lost. They seem to be deep and thoughtful, yet full of fire and energy. Her skin is smooth yet tough like leather and the twilight does make her look like she has blue skin. He is entranced by her looks, he doesn't know how or why, but he just couldn't move. Rila apparently is experiencing the same feeling, she doesn't move and appears to be taking Rookie's face in.

A car passes by and its honks brought them out of their dream like state. Rook feels Rila's face becoming warm and he senses his own face starting to burn as well as he lets go and looks away.

"Uh, let's just head to the apartment," Rook finally says.

"Ok," she says, her eyes looking a little misty though.

* * *

Mrs. Locker opens the door and just puts her cat out when she looks up and gasps.

Rila stares at the human woman who looks like an elder to her while Rookie opens the door to his apartment. He ushers the Sangheili in before looking at his neighbor and says, "nice night, isn't it Doris?"

Before she could answer, Rookie dashes inside and locks the door.

Doris Locker continues staring at the closed door before turning and runs into her home, screaming her husband's name, "Nathan! Nathan!"

* * *

Rookie stands back as he watches Rila inspect his living space.

"I know it's not much," Rookie says, "but I call it home."

"I think it's wonderful," Rila says as she looks at Rookie.

Rook arches an eyebrow as he looks around his own living room. It's pretty standard, a sofa, recliner and a small coffee table with a small T.V. screen on it. In the back is his small tiled kitchen with a fridge, microwave, oven, a small pantry, and a counter that separates the living room and kitchen with a small opening to its side. Next to the kitchen is the entrance to his bedroom where the restroom is also located.

He starts moving to his room, he sees Rila's mouth open, but he beats her to it, "I need to deal with some things before we go to bed, you can explore the living space if you want," with that he enters his room, leaving Rila on her own.

Rookie's room has one bed, a desk, a closet and the door that leads to the restroom. He sits at the desk, pulls out a drawer and takes out a data pad. He activates it and starts working through his office inventory. He messages Smyth the important details, codes and his personal address and number in case he needs help with something. He also begins to sort through files, deleting some age old work while also emailing important documents to Smyth.

As he works he hears thumps, bangs and clanging sounds, all originating from his living room. He tries to ignore it, but every so often he hears a noise of disturbance and hopes Rila isn't making a mess.

* * *

Rila sits on the couch, but only remains there for a minute before standing and explores the room. She knocks on the wall and the floor, trying to see if it's made of the same material the embassy is made of.

She gazes at the strange screen on the mini table and wonders what it could be used for. There are controls on the bottom, which she carefully presses using her talon. She jumps when moving images suddenly appears on the screen and they begin speaking in a language she couldn't understand. Unsure what the thing could be for, she just presses the same button and it switches off, leaving her quite baffled.

She then explores the kitchen area where he said there is food. She opens a small door and is surprised when there are strange packages inside, all containing what she takes to be the sustenance. She reaches in and pulls out a small see-through box and opens it. Inside is what appears to be meat, but it has been blended in with something else and reeks of a strange scent. Cautiously she licks the entire top of the meat and gags at the taste. She looks back inside and finds what appears to be silver paper. Curious she unwrap it and finds what appears to be meat, still attach to the bone. It's covered in something red, but when she nibbles off a bit, she finds it to her liking and quickly devours the cuisine.

Sometime later, Rookie reenters the room and walks towards her just as she places the last bone down. She hopes he isn't angry that she ate all the meat, instead he asks, "Are you full?"

She peers at him strangely before he asks, "Are you no longer hungry?"

Understanding fully now she nods her head and smiles at him.

He smiles back and notices the open container holding the funny tasting meat. Her eyes widen when she sees him take a scoop.

"Wait," she says but he already takes a bite.

He looks at her strangely and asks, "What?"

She stares at him for a while before looking away and says, "uh…never mind."

Rookie gives her another odd face before continuing to eat the meat. She wishes to question him about his home but her mandibles open and releases a yawn.

Upon seeing the action, Rookie asks, "Do you want to lie down now?"

Rila nods lazily, "That would be nice," she admits.

Rookie thinks for a moment and glances at the couch. When Kunar was here, Rook made him sleep on the furniture, he didn't want to do that to Rila though, she has been kind and nice to him (despite making him speak more than he's used to.)

He thinks for a bit before finally saying, "Come with me."

He leads her to his room and gestures to his bed.

"You can sleep here tonight," he tells her.

Her eyes look at the bed suspiciously, Rook is sure she would have question where he was going to sleep, instead she just yawns and sits on the bed and slowly takes her armor off.

Rookie makes ready to leave but he pauses and stares at Rila. Her cut looks alright now; maybe Sangheilis heal faster than humans. He soon focuses on her lean body, her greyish blue skin, her dark eyes…he suddenly realizes she isn't wearing anything beneath her amour, no clothes at all, not even undergarments. His face flushes, badly.

She suddenly looks up at him as she is about to remove her chest piece, bringing Rook out of his trance.

Rook just says, "good night" and rushes out, but not before grabbing his data pad and closing the door slightly.

He breathes heavily, wondering what made him act like that before walking to his living room. He pauses to grab what's left of the meatloaf out of its container and walks to his couch. He sits down and slowly eats the rest of his dinner as he continues to go through some old files, mailing advice to Smyth every so often.

As he works, the back of his mind is alive with activity, thinking about the day's events. Yet what stands out in his mind the most was the feeling he felt as he touched the skin of an alien, remembering how she looked beautiful against the night sky and the fact that she isnt wearing any clothes...at all...in his room...in his bed.

Rookie turns the tablet off, rubs his eyes and mumbles, "what's wrong with me?"

**Ok, how am I doing, I'm trying to make Rookie a strong stoic silent soldier, but I'm not sure if I got that right in this chapter. Anyway please review what you think and thanks for reading. **


	3. The Bond

**The Bond**

Rook groans as he lifts himself up from the couch and rubs his eyes. He blinks in wonder, why is he here and not his room? It is then that the memories flow back and he moans again as he holds his head in his hands.

He can't tell if he is excited or terrified. He is finally going back into the field where he belongs, but now he is bringing an inexperience bodyguard with him who, ironically, is supposed to be protecting him. And to top it all off he made it worse by making the impossible promise of keeping her alive.

He shakes his head, why does he always get stuck in these kinds of situations?

He gets up and enters his kitchens and begins rummaging for breakfast. He was just going to do simple cereal when he remembers his guest. He wonders if he should cook for her, and if so what she would like. He knows the Sangheilis eat meat, but do they eat cooked meat? He remembers Kunar eating his food raw, do Sangheilis prefer their meals this way or did they simply lack a means to cook it when here on Earth?

Rook just shakes his head and decides he might as well try. Besides, a little steak in the morning doesn't sound too bad.

* * *

Rila awakes to the smell of meat. She wonders if she is dreaming, but when she sniffs the air she confirms that the scent is real. She smiles and hopes she'll be able to have some of the meal as she sits up, pushing the blankets off of her in the process.

She then freezes when her eyes adjust to the darkness and begins to look around. She is in an unexplored room that is mostly bare much like the living space in Rookie's home. She sees aside from the bed, the only furniture is what appears to be a small table and three doors, one where the scent of meat is emitting from, one that leads into a smaller room and the last appears to be holding some sort of large box within it. She then notices the bed she is sitting on is small, by Sangheili standards, thankfully though she is small enough to fit in it. However as she swings her legs over the side she notices human clothing thrown to one side of the room while a small basket is overflowing with other discarded cloth. Curiously, she picks up one of the fabrics and sniffs it. She smells something that reminds her of sea water with a tint of odor that could only belong to a male.

She looks down at the bed she is sitting in before leaning down and sniffs it. She smells the same scent. She shudders as the realization hits her.

_I'm sleeping in Rookie's room_; the thought is enough to get her out of the bed as she looks around for the human in question.

She doesn't see him, but she feels bad nevertheless. She growls in frustration, so far she isn't doing a good job at being a guard. She had left her post, was ambushed by a youngling, and now she is sleeping in her charge's bed, probably forcing him to sleep somewhere else.

She pauses at the thought, she remembers before she succumb to sleep that it was Rookie himself who has led her into this room, why did he do this?

She sighs as she begins to pick up her armor pieces off the floor and starts to reattach them to herself. She dully takes notice that her armor is brand new, no signs of dents, blood, or ash, no indication that it has ever been in combat, just like her.

She suddenly remembers what she was told yesterday, one that fills her with excitement. She was to go into battle by Rookie's side, something that she has been dreaming of since she was young. The thought of slaying her enemy, the thrill of rushing into battle, the very prospect is one that she can't fully comprehend. With that in mind, she dresses much more quickly and clips on her weapons before finally placing on her helmet.

She moves to the door but pauses when something catches her eye. Resting on the table is a small piece of paper, but instead of baring words, it has a colorful image. Peering curiously at it, she walks closer to the paper and looks down. It shows a group of humans huddled together in what appears to be some sort of building. She carefully picks it up with the tips of her talons and brings it closer to her so she can view it much more closely.

There are a total of five humans in the image, two females and three males. The two taller males stands in the back, the females stand in front of them and the smallest of the males stood at the very front; all of them with their mouths open in that odd human smile. She leans down further to better inspect the strange paper. She has no idea why, but the two males in the back remind her of someone.

Her eyes widen when she realizes she is staring at Rookie, but he is completely different compared to how he is now. For one thing, his face is fresh without worries and he is smiling, quite more widely than she has ever seen him; this must be how he looked when he was a youngling. The other male standing next to him looks remarkably like her human charge, but she guesses that he must be Rookie's sire, if he was a bit taller and his face wasn't as worn he would have look just like Rookie. She then inspects the younger male and finds the same qualities as Rookie and his supposed father; this must be his brother. Rila finds it remarkable how human offspring's looks exactly like their parents, especially in this case.

She then observes the two females. One is older, has fur color exactly the same as Rookie's and has a relaxed pose to the way she is standing. The last female however doesn't have any resemblance to the others. She has golden like fur that appears to flow down to her back with a bright smile that appears to be almost glowing. She looks completely different from the group, but Rila notices her hand is being held by Rookie and they both seem to be leaning against one another. Rila wonders who this character is, perhaps the human will tell her.

At the thought she remembers her mission and the sweet aroma of sizzling meat returns to her. She feels her mandibles shiver slightly at the thought of eating her meal as she turns back to the door.

When she opens it, her eyes squints and she allows a hardly audible hiss to escape as she peers into the dazzling room. Nothing appear to have change, but she then notices Rookie is flipping a slab of meat in a strange pan that is position over a machine that is producing a light fire. Rookie, however, does not look up or acknowledging Rila's presence.

Rila stands still for a while as she gazes at Rookie, never before witnessing a male cooking before. Her eyes slowly start to wander over the male's form as she watches. He has excellent muscle tone for a human, his arms and legs appear to be bulging, yet at the same time they appear slim. She sees that his fur is a bit untidy but it looks…exotic to the young Sangheili. She watches as his hands skillfully remove the meat from the cooking container and starts to cut it with a knife.

_He is well kept and resourceful_, she thinks,_ I wonder what he would have been like if he was born Sangheili._

It is then that he looks up at her with his dark eyes, bringing her out of her musing.

Rila dips her head respectfully and says, "Greetings Rookie."

The human merely grunt before looking back down as he cuts the meat into smaller pieces, now no longer giving her the slightest of consideration.

_Have I done something wrong_, Rila wonders worriedly to herself before looking back down at the image in her hands, _maybe this will help_.

"Rookie?" she asks.

He must have heard the hesitation in her voice as he asks, "Yes?" but still doesn't look at her.

She steps forward and holds up the small paper, "What is-"

She didn't finish her sentence, for at that moment the human moves with such unbelievable speed that Rila ponders if she actually seen Rookie move at all. He snatches away the paper and stuffs it into his pocket. He looks at her and she sees malice, true hate in his eyes, but it disappeared so quickly that Rila isn't sure if she saw it or just simply imagine it.

"That," he says in a heavy voice, "is private."

Rila bows her head again before muttering, "My apologies, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright," Rookie says just as quickly, "sorry…I should have been more careful with where I put my things."

Rila is curious with why the human is acting this way, but at that moment he holds out a plate to her with a large slab of meat resting on it.

Her eyes widens and she feels her breath get caught in her throat as she gazes at the food being offered to her.

Rookie notices and asks, in what she takes to be a friendlier tone, "is there something wrong?"

Rila couldn't speak for a moment, feeling embarrassed and imprudent at the same time. Among Sangheilis, to offer a female a meal is seen as a sign of courtship, but this couldn't be the case, Rookie is human, and she is too young and inexperienced to be an option for a warrior like him, at least in her thinking.

Rila doesn't reply as she takes the plate and whispers, "thank you," before walking away, feeling more and more self-conscious by the unit.

* * *

Rook feels like a complete jerk at the moment as he thinks of what he should do.

He hasn't been acting like himself lately, especially after that Sangheili came into his life. She is far more affecting than Kunar, that much is sure. Her very presence throws him off his usual balanced self, she is excited, talkative and very energetic, it reminds him of himself when he was younger, but that life is far behind him now. She somehow causes him to second think his emotions towards her and has him looking out for her well-being despite her being his guard. At first he dismissed this as some sort of backlash from making that promise to her sister, but something tells him that's not the case. He doesn't know what it is that she does that affects him, but truth be told, it scared him that she had this effect on him.

He decided to try and remain neutral, avoid speaking whenever possible, basically be his old self. However, just doing that made him feel like a heel, and he always acted in this manner, why is it now that he is now cautious with his actions?

Then there is his family picture. He feels his hand automatically moving and checking to see if it's still there in his pants pocket. This one thing, his very last link to his long lost family, is probably the most precious possession he owns. It didn't only show his parents and his brother, but also it shows Clara. He feels his chest tighten, but he pushes the feeling away, he allowed a few tears to fall every so often in the past, but he can't now, not with Rila here and watching.

He looks back at his new Sangheili companion who is sitting on one of the couches as she slowly inhales her meat with the use of mandibles in a strange and almost sickening way. He feels bad for how he is treating her this morning, what should he do, apologize?

Before he could decide on a course of action, he feels his pants leg vibrate and reaches into his pocket. He withdraws his earpiece, attach it to his ear and answers the call, "Yes?"

Rila looks up at the word, but Rook waves at his ear and he sees that she understands for she returns to eating.

"Hey Chief," it's Smyth, "Ambassador knows you don't have a car and asks me to come and pick you up, is that ok?"

Rook is about to decline when he remembers the incident yesterday when he and Rila walked back to his apartment the other night. The angry motorist, the cautious pedestrians and not to mention the little punk yesterday who showed there are a few people out there willing to spark violence. And that was just a short five block walk; the spaceport where they needed to be is on the other side of the city.

"Sure," Rookie said, "What kind of vehicle do you have?"

"A truck, generation-"

"Can Rila fit in the back?" The Sangheili in question looks up at the mention of her name but Rook doesn't give her a glance.

"Uh, I think so-"

"Alright, you can pick us up," Rook says as he begins to walk to his room, "how soon can you be here?"

"Well if I leave now before my shift starts, I can be there in a few minutes-"

"Ok, can you pick us up now then?"

"But I haven't eaten breakfast yet," Smyth startes to whine, but Rookie interrupted him again.

"I have six ounce steak here, you can have it," Rook says as he enters his room and takes out his duffle bag.

Smyth is silent so Rookie asks, "Smyth, you still there?"

Smyth is silent before responding, "Are you actually offering me food?" the astonishment in his voice is enough to cause Rookie to pause as he finishes, "Who are you and what have you done with Rookie?"

Rook thinks for a moment, _have I really changed that much_?

"Hey Rook," Smyth calls, "you alright?"

"I don't know," Rookie says quietly to Smyth before shaking his head and talks normally, "Come over and pick us up, we'll be ready by the time you drive up."

"Alright, and were you serious about steak?" Smyth asks.

"Come and get us," Rookie says impatiently before hanging up the line.

Now he places his bag on his bed and starts to rummage around in his dresser. He takes every one of his military cloths; the olive green T's with the Marine Core logo stamped on them, camouflage pants, PT clothes, and his dress uniform along with the small amount of medals he has accumulated over the years. He folds each and every one of them, including the socks, he is a Lieutenant now, a platoon leader, he needs to lead by example, though he doubts this small act is enough to turn the Marine into boy scouts, not that he wanted to anyway.

Rookie pauses as he thinks about what he has just thought of. He's going to be a leader of a small band of Marines; their very lives will be in his hands. Rook shivers at the idea, he was the leader of the security detail at the embassy, but this is different, here in the military the odds of death is much higher and the men and women he will be in charge of will be looking up to him for guidance and direction. It's time to see if he can be a leader that would make Buck proud.

Rook lastly takes outs his family photo and places it within his bag. He stops momentarily to stare at them; his father Bonito, his mother Sophia, his brother Donny, and finally Clara. He runs a thumb over the polarized face as he remembers her, her glowing personality, her wise crack mouth, her strange but loving nature; it is enough to cause the man to smile. He is about to zip it up when he remembers Rila and that strange feeling of guilt when he ripped the photo out of her hand.

He sighs and is about to zip up the bag but stops. He looks up at the ceiling as he growls his frustration. _What is wrong with me_? This time hoping that someone would answer.

* * *

Rila puts the plate back on the counter as she sits back down on the couch, waiting for her human charge to come back out.

She tries to wait patiently, but eventually she takes out her plasma rifle and starts to inspect it. While she does this, Rila allows her mind to travel back to the prospect of battle. She wonders what it will be like, to finally shoot her weapon, to wet her talons and to feel the glory of victory as she stands on the corpse of her enemies. It sounds almost like a ballad of the warriors of the old legends before the Sangheili joined the Covenant.

She stops at the almost disregarded memory. She has forgotten about that, she clips the rifle back onto her belt as she wonders about that small predicament. Humanity is still weary of the Sangheili, still full of hate and mistrust, that part is very much clear considering it was a youngling that attacked her the other day. Her thoughts returns to the conversation she had with her sister and the warning about being cautious while being close to her human charge. She shivers at remembering how he barley talked to her when she woke up, has she done something wrong? Does he hate her? What has she done wrong?

She jumps when she hears the sound of the door opening and turns in time to see Rookie walking out with a long bag slung on his back. He has changed into a different set of clothing; he now wears a strange legging material that is colored in a variety of hues, green, brown and black. His upper garment now covers his whole arms, hugging it so tightly that she is able to see his muscles. He also wears a strange head piece that isn't a helmet, but made out of a garment that slightly hides his eyes from the world.

She instantly looks down, not wanting to provoke him, she feels her form shiver slightly at the thought that he may kill her.

Rookie stands still for a moment before she hears him walking towards her. She curls her hands slightly while trying to keep her breathing under control. The footsteps pause, right next to her. She wonders what he is going to do when he unexpectedly sits down next to her.

She swings her head around and peers at the human. He is indeed smaller than she is, yet he holds himself up almost with pride and obvious discipline.

He releases a small puff of air as he reaches into his pocket and withdraws the strange piece of paper with the image on it.

He holds it out to her and carefully, she leans forward to see it better. It hasn't changed, but now Rookie takes a deep breath as he speaks.

"This," he says with a heavy voice, "is my family."

She looks back at him and couldn't help but feel slightly thrilled that her assumption is correct. However that small sense of victory dies when she sees the pained look in Rookie's eyes as he gazes at the image, his eyes looking a bit like glass at the moment as the paper is reflected back in it.

He points with his finger at the older male and says, "That is my father, his name was Bonito," his finger than move to the other tall male, "that's me when I was younger," the digit travels further down and points at the older female, "that's my mother, Sophia." He then points at the youngling and says, "That's my younger brother Donatello, but everyone called him Donny," finally Rookie allows a smile to appear, "we all believed Donatello was a little too formal for a crazy kid like him."

Rila is confused, why did Rook find it amusing that his sibling was insane? She didn't question this; instead she wonders why Rookie hesitates as he stares at the final person in the image, the young female.

Rookie silence got onto Rila's nerves slightly so she points a talon at the female and asks, "and this? Is she your sister?"

She glances back at Rookie and is surprised when she sees his eyes are hard, but despite this there is a fragile look about them, as if he is about to break down in tears.

He gulps before saying in a near whisper, "That…that is my friend Clara Kitchens…my good friend."

Hoping to lighten the mood slightly she asks, "do you think one day I can meet them? They look like good people and-"

"They're dead," Rila is surprised by both the answer and the way he said it; he spoke in a cold voice that sounds close to hatred. She silently curses her stupidity, she should have known, the war killed many people and there's only one reason why Rookie would seem emotional.

She looks back at the human who is sitting completely still like a warrior made of stone, his eyes now appears vacant as they stared at the image of his deceased family. Rila has rarely seen anyone cry, and most certainly not a human, but upon seeing him like this…it's almost too much to bear for some reason. Rookie has given her food and shelter and comfort when she was hit by the small projectile the other day. He may have done it as a good host and nothing more, but still he did it so caringly and warmly, causing Rila to feel responsible in returning the favor.

Not knowing how to comfort him in the human way, she decides to attempt it through Sangheilian means. Cautiously she lowers her head until it is about level with the human's and presses her head against Rookie's. His whole frame stiffens; he clutches the image with a death grip and his breathing just about stop. Rila pulls away, concern with what has just happen and wonders what she should say, what she should do.

Her human charge slowly looks up at her with unreadable eyes as he asks, "What…are you doing?"

Rila becomes nervous, but she steels herself the best she could before replying, "I just…I was trying to comfort you," here she looks down, now feeling horribly self-conscious.

But then she feels something grasping her hand and she looks up in surprise. Rookie has taken her hand into his and is now looking at her.

His eyes are still clear of emotions but he says in a solemn, yet astonished filled voice, "thank you…"

Rila couldn't help but smile at the human as she leans forward and bumps her forehead against his again. He freezes like last time, but after a moment he relaxes just as Rila hoped he would. What she doesn't expect however is feeling one of his hands on her neck. Her eyes widen as her old fear surges through and she wonders if he is going to strangle her to death. Yet once again she is surprised, his hand doesn't enclose around her throat, instead, he begins to stroke it.

An indescribable feeling takes over Rila at the feel of his touch. So long has it been since a male has last graced her with his touch, almost no male finds her appealing anymore, not since she has stopped growing and is stuck in a minuscular body. She is also a bodyguard, a soldier if any, charged with the protection of a human to whom the Arbiter owes a life debt. After meeting the human, Rila is surprised by how closed he is, how remote he appears, she never did once entertain the thought that he cared for her. Yet here he is, soothing her hide with the delicacy of a lover.

Rila closes her eyes as she enjoys the feeling, allowing the uncontrollable emotion to take over. Soon she tilts her head back slightly to give Rookie better access to her neck, feeling his somewhat soft hand brushing over her skin enjoyable. She has no idea what has happened or what is happening, but she hopes that he finds this as pleasurable as she does.

Without realizing it, she feels her throat starting to thrum like it does whenever she feels extremely happy. It's a natural reaction of her body, something that she couldn't control, which is why she feels embarrassed again when Rookie pauses in his caressing when he hears the odd sound.

She opens her eyes and leans back to look at the human. Amusement glitters in his eyes, but his face only holds confusion, he is probably feeling just as disordered as Rila is at the moment. Soon her confusion gives way to fear at what has just occurred. Would this have been seen as a courting? What would her family say about this, worse, what would the Sangheili council say if they saw this. No, more importantly, what will Rookie say, does he feel disgusted, affronted, or is it possible that he hates her now?

"I-I'm sorry," Rila finally says, "I shouldn't have done-it was inappropriate and…please," she soon begs, "please don't inform the council," she soon starts to squabble, "It was a mistake, it won't happen again, I swear." If the council hears of this her entire Keep may be dishonored, she will be dishonored, maybe even punished for her unexpected and irrational actions.

Her mind is still swimming when she feels the human hand touching hers. Eventually she becomes aware of it and looks up at Rookie who is giving her a serious look, but the delighted eyes remain the same despite his attempts at calming them.

"I should be the one apologizing," Rookie finally says, "I'm the one who started it."

She shivers at the memory, "Yes, but I took it further," she bows her head in shame, "I even took pleasure in what was happening and…" she sighs, "I'll understand it if you wish to have me replace."

She can already feel the disgrace mounting in status as she thinks of what has happened. She isn't really sure what it was that happen herself, only that she pushed her charge into doing something he probably didn't want, no, of course he didn't want to do it, she's another species and yet she felt as if they came close to…to…

Rookie squeezes her hand, gaining her attention, "Rila, it's alright…I…actually…liked…whatever it was that we were doing."

She looks up and sees he has a bashful like look on his face, but his voice rings with honesty as does his eyes. She felt joy surge through her as she realizes he doesn't resent her, nor was he offended, far from it.

Her mandibles part in a Sangheili smile as she looks happily at the human, unable to believe the sudden relief she is feeling.

"Thank you," she finally says in earnest as she bows her head again, only this time out of gratitude.

She looks up in time to see Rookie smile back as he says, "you're welcome…and thank you for comforting me in the first place," he adds.

Rila smiles wider and before she realized it, her throat started to vibrate once more.

They stare at one another in complete and comforting silence until a device clipped to Rookie's ear beeps. He clicks a button, seems to be focusing for a bit before clicking the same command and says, "Our ride is here," with that he stands and shoulders his bag. He walks over to the food processing area and wraps a leftover steak in a strange fabric and carries it with him as he approaches the door.

Rila stands as well and makes sure everything is accounted for on her belt. She notices Rookie staring at her, she cocks her head a little in his direction and he asks, "Do you have a bag, or any belongings?"

Rila shakes her head, "As a guard, personal possessions may slow me down and provide unnecessary distractions so I have nothing."

Rookie gives her an odd look, appearing embarrassed as he asks, "What about…spare clothes?"

Rila feels herself become unbearably hot as they speak of her clothing, "I have no garments other than my armor, I am to be your life guard for years to come Rookie."

The human appears confused but before he could say anything else, they both hear a disturbance that originated outside, its the same sound the human vehicles often made when they are on the road.

Seeing her confused state, Rookie starts to walk to the door while saying, "That's my comrade Smyth from the embassy, he's going to drive us to the spaceport where we'll board our ship."

He opens the door and steps aside, looking at her in a unfamiliar manner. She then realizes that he wants her to go first. Reminding herself that she is to protect the human, she hurries forward, place a hand on her rifle and proceeds out the door.

The small walkway is deprived of danger; however she sees movement in the corner of her eye and turns. She spots the elderly female from the other night looking out her window before pulling fabric over the breech, hiding her from view. Rila is curious about her behavior, but has no time to think about that as Rookie steps out of the building and leads the way down the stairs, forcing Rila to trail behind.

Their footsteps mingle with one another as they descend, resounding with loud clanking as they continue downward. As they do so, Rila looks up and around at her surroundings, generally amazed by the human architecture. She almost bumps into Rookie when they come to a stop before the road.

Resting in front of them is one of humanity's odd looking vehicles. It seems longer than the others, but the compartment seems to stretch only a few feet from the front, leaving the rear of the machinery open to the elements.

Without a word, Rookie walks forward, lifts his bag and places it in the open end of the vehicle before walking to the compartment and a small hatch opens, revealing another human in the operator's position. They greet each other and Rookie hands the human the wrapped food, before they lean forward and begins to speak softly to one another, leavening Rila out of the conversation as they spoke softly to each other. She tries not to feel slightly hurt so she looks around at their surroundings, ensuring that there are no threats. Seeing that the place is secured; Rila than wanders forward and starts to look the vehicle over with an inquisitive gaze, musing over how it could possibly work. She is examining the strange light blinking in the rear of the vehicle when Rookie taps her on the shoulder, causing her to look back at him.

"I think we may have to sit in the back," he says and points at the open area with a finger, "There isn't enough room for us in the front."

She cocks her head to the side as she looks at the compartment and back at Rookie. She is sure there is room for Rookie to sit in the front, yet why is he choosing to ride in the back with her?

She feels her insides warm slightly,_ is he starting to see me as a friend_? She immediately ceases the thought, Rookie was right; she was here to perform a mission, not to make friends. But still she couldn't help but play with the thought; it would be nice to have someone to speak to and find comfort in every so often.

She brings her attention back to Rookie and bows her head, "Very well then Rookie"

* * *

Rook tries his best to remain casual, but he keeps shifting his position because of how close he is to Rila. She isn't doing anything, but for some reason the feeling of just being near her fills the air with inelegance. They are both laying side by side each other in the back of Smyth's truck, staying as low as possible so that Rila's appearance won't spark a panic. He could tell she is uncomfortable with the thought of people seeing her as a terrible thing, so he comforts her by lightly pressing his knee against hers and she responds by making the same peculiar noise that sounded like a cat purr to Rook's ears.

The ODST Lieutenant really has no idea what is happening now. Every rule he makes whenever he deals with the Sangheili changes after each contact, like now, them being this close causes him to draw a blank.

He tries to focus on other things and attempts to count the seconds as they travel, but Rila's purring keeps distracting him until finally his eyes are pulled towards her direction and he unconsciously takes in her figure. She is small compared to other Sangheilis that's for sure; her height barely meets seven foot status. Her skin has a tint that makes it appear blue while her eyes remain dark, he wonders if they are black against black, or if she just had dark brown eyes like his. He is unable to feel it at the moment but he remembers the touch of her leather like skin against his just a few moments ago as they sat on his couch.

He shivers at the memory. Why did he do that? She was just comforting him by resting her snout against his face, but whatever posed him to massage her neck? He has to admit it felt nice, having another warm body against his, feeling her getting excited to the point where Rook felt the smile on his own face grow as she came closer. He hadn't felt like that since the time he and Clara snuck out and they started to…

Rooks eyes widen in shock, horror, and slight revulsion. It can't be could it? They just met! Worse, she's his body guard, a Sangheili! He can't be falling for her, he can barely see her species as allies, how could he be seeing them as anything else? Anything more?

He feels like hyperventilating but instead he slowly let out control breaths. _She's a woman_, he tries to tell himself, _it's your body acting this way not_ you. Rooks reason slowly starts to take hold, but that assumption just won't go away, just won't leave him alone.

Since Clara died he has been resenting the Sangheilis as long as he could remember. Then there is his family, his papa, his mother, and hyperactive little Donny who wouldn't harm a fly, how could he, he was just a kid, a six year old kid who never harmed anyone.

Rook's blood starts to boil. He remembers Luke, Webo, and Madeline, his best friends in the Marine Core, did the Sangheilis care? Not when they burn his friends, not when they practically murdered them right in front of Rook's eyes.

He is now glaring at the sky, wondering why, why did his family died, why did his friends have to die? Those who didn't do anything wrong, as far as he knew, humanity didn't start the war, why did so many innocent people have to die just for someone's own selfish reasons?

"Rookie," Rila's voice brought him out of his blackness, "are you alright?"

He turns his gaze towards her and she flinches. He doesn't know why, but the sight of her looking afraid, more importantly, having fear in her eyes as she looks at him suddenly fills Rook with a feeling of pain and guilt.

Rookie softens his eyes before saying, "Yeah…just thinking about what's going to happen soon."

He can see her confusion so he elaborates, "the upcoming battle."

She now grins at him, "It is exciting, is it not?"

Yes, Rookie does feel a degree of excitement, yet he still eyes Rila for she has spoken of war with an emotion in her voice that unease him; glee.

"Have you ever been in a fight Rila?" He asks her.

She looks away as if in self-conscious before replying with, "Not really, no."

Rookie stares at her for a while before sighing, "We're going to be fighting in a platoon, that will number to about forty eight Marines, drop shock troopers to be precise," Rila is now staring at him as he explains, "so the best way to ensure you'll stay alive is to befriend some of the troops, you watch their backs and they'll watch yours so in the end we can all go home safely."

Rila gives him a confused look, "You do not wish to die in combat?"

Now it's Rook to look at her strangely and slightly horrified before saying, "Of course not, don't you wish to survive; to live?"

Rila looks up at the sky before closing her eyes and mumbles, "I don't know…I suppose I should survive," she says in a calm tone as if she is deciding what she should eat for her next meal, "I do have to protect you, but if I should die then I would win my Keep great honor…"

Rook gives her an unbelievable look, "You want to die?"

She turns back to face him, "If it comes down to saving you, my charge, then yes, I will sacrifice myself for you."

Rook is slightly taken aback by her commitment and the casualness in which she said it before saying, "Well until that time comes, I have to help keep you alive for your sister's sake, remember?"

Rila gives a small growl that alerts Rookie slightly as she says, "You don't have to worry about her, just tell her I fell in battle if it does come to that."

He shakes his head in defiance, "I can't do that Rila, I made your sister a promise."

This time she snarls, "She is just being an overprotective sibling."

Rookie chuckles at this, "Maybe its instinct."

She transfers her outrageous look to Rook and grumbles, "how would you know?"

Rook has no idea what sparked it, but her voice…it sounded like that of a Sangheili male, a warrior. Then the reference to his family, his brother…bright flames and the smell of burning flesh fills his vision as he remembers seeing his brother for the last time before he was taken from Rook's protective grasp by large clawed hands.

Rook tightens his fists at the memory and looks up at Rila before saying coldly, "Because I use to be an older sibling as well."

Rila leans back, all traces of her anger is gone now, ensuring that she has heard the pain and the hatred in the human's tone.

"Rookie," she begins to say, but then the truck starts to slow before finally coming to a stop.

"We're here," he says and jumps out of the bed of the truck, suddenly finding her presence to be too much for him.

* * *

Rila fidgets slightly; her mind is still unable to understand what has happened in the past few units.

When she awoke, the human was silent as if he was tempered by an unknown irritation. Then he became friendly and talked to her once more. Stranger still, she comforted him and he responded in a way that still makes her feel very warm inside. Now however that time has long since pass, and the human is once more silent in unmistakable anger.

They are onboard one of the strange human spacecraft, a green vehicle that she has seen humans ride into battle before. They are sitting in the rear of the tiny shuttle while the pilots are in the front, leading the ship to the much larger vessel that they are to ride in.

Every so often, Rila will look out of the corner of her eye and observes Rookie. He has his usual stoic look covering his face while his arms are folded. One of his feet starts to tap a furious rhythm as they wait to arrive at their destination.

Rila returns her gaze back down to her own feet as she ponders her situation. This isn't the first time that the human has become so defensive, but she has notice there is a form of pattern within his actions. He becomes reserve only whenever she speaks of one topic and that is when it concerns his family.

_He must have really loved them to be feeling this way_, she muses to herself. She can't really remember her own parents, or to be precise, her mother. The house mistress of the Keep died of a fatal disease when Rila was just a youngling, too young to even remember her face, a pain that hurts her for reasons she does not know. Her father lives, or so they say. In order to ensure no Sangheili young will ever swell with pride because of their parent's success, the bearer of the children of the Sa'u Keep is hidden from them. The only relative that Rila knows and loves is her sister, Fali. Rila tries to imagine what life would be like without her sister. In truth, without her caring sister, Rila would surely have gone mad from sorrow.

_Can that even happen? If so, is that what happen to Rookie when he lost his kin_?

She chances another look at the stone face human once more who looks like he is meditating with his eyes half closed.

She debates whether she should try until finally deciding her next plan of action, at least in this way he'll know of her stance.

"Rookie?" she asks in a small uncertain voice like she is a youngling once more.

The human blinks before giving Rila an empty glance with no emotion planted within them.

She shivers at the look, but she gathers herself and says, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I know my sister loves me and you no doubt must have loved your sibling, I just didn't think-"

"Stop," Rila is surprised to hear the suffering in Rookie's voice. Now his eyes are fully closed, shut tight as if he is hiding from the world before saying, "It's alright, let's…let's just stop talking about this alright?" it sounds as if he is begging, with his voice breaking at the end.

The sound of his distressed tone suddenly puts Rila on edge. She wanted to comfort him again, and in the back of her mind she knew she wouldn't mind having his fingers stroke her hide, but she forces that out of her head. He is still angry, just as likely to lash out as a battle drunk warrior would, yet the agony he is feeling…she couldn't stand it.

Saying a silent prayer or guidance, she moves her hand forward and takes his hand in hers. She feels his grip tighten to the point of her fingers being crushed, forcing her to release a small yelp at the unexpected force. After her small cry was release though, the pressure starts to decrease and Rookie begins to take in shallow breaths. Rila tries to ease her human charge but also at the same time remain on alert in case he starts to go on the attack. However the clench hand softens until finally Rookie opens his eyes, gleaming brightly in the dimly lit compartment as he whispers, "sorry."

Rila bows her head and bumps it against him, her way of letting him know he is forgiven, a message that doesn't require words. She is starting to pull back when Rookie puts his other hand against her neck and starts to rub it like they did at the start of the day.

_Not again_, Rila thought to herself, but the bitterness leaks out at the feeling of his gentle hands running over her skin. She eventually releases a sigh and allows her throat to vibrate in pleasure.

However that brief moment of contentment is taken when a voice calls from the front of the ship, "Sir, we're about to enter the _Shanghai_."

Rookie breathes in deeply before pulling away from Rila, looking better but he still rubs his eyes with his fingers before calling back, "Good, thanks."

He then looks back at Rila, "and thank you Rila."

The Sangheili feels uncomfortable as she replies, "It was my pleasure Rookie."

He chuckles lightly at this, but soon his stone cold look returns to his facial features. She wonders if he is still upset, but at that moment she grabs the sides of her seat as the whole craft begins to shake uncontrollably. Rila would have panic believing that the ship is malfunctioning, but then she sees Rookie's calm expression so she forces herself to relax as well.

Finally they came to a shuddering halt that nearly pushed Rila out of her seat.

"We're here sir," the same pilot calls back, "opening the hatch now."

Rookie doesn't say a thing as he slings on the headwear and stands, shouldering his bag as he does so. Rila rises as well, her head brushes the top of the ship, but at least she could fit within it. There is a hiss as pressure within in the small craft lessens and the huge back doors cracks open.

Rila blinks and releases a hiss as a blinding light steals her vision before it gradually returns. Her eyes widen at what she sees.

She has never seen the inside of a human Warcraft ship and here she is in the heart of one. The entire ship is made of the human's strangely grey tinted metal, covering the floor, walls, and ceilings. There is a huge passage way revealing the darken skies of the human planet upper atmosphere, barely making the outside world visible. The large space they are in is crowded with humans, some in brown coveralls while others wear green armor. They are rushing about as some of them move large crates, carry bags and she sees one of the human ground vehicles being driven along the length of the vessel. Here and there, small human air vehicles take flight, some are bulky like the ship they just rode in and others are small, looking as if only one being could fit within it. The air is heavy with a burning scent mixed with the smell of body odor and something that smells like spoiled meat; it isn't the best thing that Rila has smelled, but she can bare it. The scene is chaotic, but even that look very alien to Rila as she gazes at the humans, silently wondering if they ever do get any work done at all as they rush around like lunatics.

She hears an amused chuckle and turns to Rook who is watching her, but he quickly composes himself; as if he is trying to remain formal while in her presence.

_By the Forerunners_, Rila thinks savagely to herself, _why must all humans be so odd_?

As she wonders this, the door lowers itself and forms a ramp, it then that Rila takes notice of another human. Standing at the bottom of the newly form incline is a male wearing black armor, arms cross and appears just as serious as Rookie. His face is hard, a bit pale with spiked up black fur, then she notices he has a red blotching scar on the side of his face, with a shudder Rila realizes it's a plasma burn. The human catches sight of her then, his eyes widen for a moment before they lower into a glare and Rila couldn't help but feel slightly alarmed by the show of hostility.

Rookie starts to descend and Rila is quick to follow, feeling certain that it might be best that Rookie takes the lead while they are in a strange place that only he is familiar with.

As they approach the back clad human, he stiffens like a board and raises his right hand to his head and simply says, "Lieutenant Sir."

Rookie pauses, appearing as confused as Rila feels before raising his own hand to mirror the man's action and says, "At ease, who are you trooper?"

The human crosses his arms behind his back and reply, "Alee West, I'm the Staff Sergeant for your platoon sir."

Rookie looks pleased as he steps forward and asks, "have you work with the men long Sergeant?"

The man known as Alee, shakes his head, "negative sir, it's a newly formed group consisting of old guys from the war and a bunch of new kids from boot."

Rookie groans and shakes his head slightly before asking, "Where are they?"

"Most likely in the canteen area, but do you wish to put your gear on?" Alee asks.

Rookie raises his bag, "This is all I got."

Alee appears puzzled as he bites his lip before saying, "We have some spare parts we can loan you sir, why don't you freshen up, get armored up and then you can meet your guys."

Rookie nods in agreement. It is then that Alee looks at Rila and asks, "What's this hinge head doing here?"

Rila isn't sure what a hinge head is, but she guesses from the fierce glare she is receiving it isn't a compliment.

"She," Rookie says in a surprisingly defensive voice, "is my personal bodyguard and will be treated with the same respect you would give any other soldier…Sergeant," he finishes by stressing the man's rank.

A flash of anger appears in Alee's eyes, causing Rookie to stalk closer, revealing he is slightly taller than the man, "is that a problem West?"

They hold each other's gaze until Alee finally lowers his head and says lowly, "no sir," Rila could hear the respect in the human's voice and guess that Alee now sees Rookie as the leader.

Rookie nods at the man before saying, "Show me where I can furnish myself up Sergeant, please."

Alee appears shock when he hears the use of the formality at the end and appears suspicious before nodding. He turns on his heel and starts walking, leaving Rila and Rookie to follow.

As they walk, Rila couldn't help but feels a wonderful feeling rise into her chest as she looks at Rookie. It is now obvious he is a veteran warrior, showing his strength, but he also shows respect to his followers while remaining astonishing faithful and defensive towards Rila. Is this what Rookie meant when he told her about watching each other's backs? She also remembers him saying that she needs to befriend some of the Marines in order to do this, but the chances of her doing that is slim as every so often they pass a human who would glare, hiss and occasionally spit in her direction. She gulps as she wonders if she can trust any of these humans while they are in battle.

Finally they reach a large door built into the wall that slides open as they approach. They enter a much brighter hallway, filled with lights and gleaming on the clean metallic surfaces. Rila sniffs the air and sighs, there is much better air quality in here, it still smells of a horrible aroma, but it isn't as bad as the room they left behind. As the three of them walk they pass by other humans with the same reaction, glares, curses, but this time there is no spitting, maybe they wish to keep this part of the vessel clean.

They rounded a corner and are about to pass a trio of Marines when the Sergeant suddenly says, "Stand to."

The soldiers stop and perform the strange action once more, standing straight while holding a hand to their heads. They appear different then the other humans and it isn't soon before Rila realizes why. They aren't wearing green battle armor, but black ones, appearing to be similar to the one the Sergeant is wearing.

"Lieutenant," Alee says, "these three are part of your platoon," he nods to each man as he indicates them, "Sergeant Mena Azim," he turns to the next, "Corporal Wolfgang Reiter," he gestures at the final soldier, "and Lance Corporal Matthew Williams."

Rila stares at the three, but particularly the one that has been called a Sergeant. She observes the solider; there is something about him that seems a bit off. It is then that there is a small gust of air and she smelled it, the scent of a female. Her eyes widen slightly, she has seen human females who have long fur, yet this one has hers cut short in the likeness of a male's. Her face is strong with a deep set of hazel eyes that reveals an even stronger gleam in the light. Rila has heard legends of female heroes who were strong and mighty, but this is the first time she has ever seen a woman who fits the descriptions of the times of old.

The other is a male that much she knows from his appearance and scent. He has black fur that is cut short, outlining his slightly round head and revealing the skin on top. He is small, smaller than his fellow humans at the most, but he stands tall and appears ready to do as he is told, his azure eyes show enough commitment to prove that point. If Rila has to make an assumption, she would guess that this male is a youngling like her who just reached adulthood.

The final warrior is extremely different than that of the first two. The soldier, a male, is older than his comrades, he has a firm jaw and deep burrowed eyes that reveals a tired tint of green within them. He has no fur at all on his head and his face appears to be covered in creases, giving him the appearance of an elder. However his chest is broad as well as the rest of his midsection, this human is advance in years but he retains the frame of a warrior.

It is then that she realizes that the black armored Marines in turn has been studying her and, in excluding the old human, the other two hands were edging towards their belts.

Rookie must have notice as well for he moves forward and says, "She's with me, in fact, she will be joining us in the fighting, so under no circumstances are you to attack her, understood?"

The three Marines look to each other in partial confusion. Rookie suddenly stands straight and growls, "That's an order."

The young male, Wolfgang, and the female, Mena, looks down, but the older human, Matthew, she remembers, nods and it is then that she sees there is no hostility in his eyes.

Rookie nods in appreciation before saying, "We'll be heading off into war soon, so I suggest you get to know each other," he ends by looking back and forth between Rila and the group of Marines. Rila's eyes widen as she realizes what Rookie is implying.

She leans towards him and hisses, "What are you doing? I'm your guard; I should go with you wherever you go."

He gives a small sigh before looking back at her and says, "True, but Rila I need to shower and make myself presentable before meeting with the Admirals later in the day."

"But why can't I go with you to this…shower," Rila asks, stumbling over the new word.

Rookie stiffens before looking at her with a strange look in his eyes.

"Rila," he says and she is sure she hears nervousness within his tone, "do you know what it means to shower?"

Rila ponders for a moment before shaking her head in defeat.

Rookie shifts around on his feet for a moment and rubs the back of his head, "Well Rila…to shower means to…to clean myself."

Rila gives him an odd look before asking, "Well I can stand and watch you as you groom yourself."

Rookie's jaw drops and his eyes becomes large as he give Rila an unreadable look. She hears a muffled sound and turns to see Alee looking away, with a smile on his face. Mena gives her a cold stare and Wolfgang looks just as astonished as Rookie, leaving Matthew as the only one with a open smile on his face, his eyes twinkling with silent laughter.

Rila immediately feels embarrass, it is obvious she has said something rash and amusingly disturbing, she wonders what it is.

Rookie swallows, still looking stun before saying, "Rila…when I...groom myself I clean…my whole body."

Rila continues to watch him with a blank expression.

Rookie sighs before gesturing towards his lower body, "My _whole_ body."

Rila feels her breath get caught in her throat and she looks away from Rookie, feeling horribly exposed and mortified all at the same time. Finally Alee releases his light laughter, soon followed by a jolly like sound produced by Matthew while Wolfgang smiles silently, leaving Mena with the same hard expression.

Rookie finally regains his composer and motions for her to stand closer to him. She is weary of course, especially as entertained eyes follow her as she moves in closer to Rookie. He moves closer until his head almost brushes against hers.

"Remember what I told you about becoming close to your squad mates?" he asks.

Rila tries her best not to shiver as Rookie's warm breath tickles her skin, bringing faint memories of what has occurred at his home and on the ride to the ship. Eventually though she is able to force her head to move up and down in response to Rookie's question.

"While I'm gone, I need you to try and get along with the platoon, these are the men and women who you are going to be working with and entrusting your life to, understand."

Rila nods, but again she wonders about Rookie. Why does he not wish her to die a glorious death or for him to pass in a similar fashion as well? Perhaps it's just another human trait that she may never understand.

Rookie steps back, nods to her and says, "I'll find you later," he turns to go but Rila steps up next to him again and hisses into his ear, "but the Arbiter instructed me to look after you and not to-"

"Rila," Rookie interrupts before turning around to face her, "look around," he gestures with his hand at the hallway, "there is no one on this ship who wishes to harm me, I'll be fine."

Rila swallows, truth she is following orders when she asked the question, but she knew deep inside her she was hoping that he will allow her to come with him. He has comforted and made her feel special despite that everyone within his race disliked her, including the three Marines who are present. There is also the fact that she is still puzzled by the human's culture, she does not wish to cause trouble or humiliate somebody by accident again. Oddly enough, it is apparent that Rookie is the one taking care of her when it should be the other way around.

She gives a shivering breath and nods while lowering her face to the ground, feeling like she is about to attend her own execution. She suddenly freezes when she feels something warm on her skin and looks up.

Rookie has placed his hand over her right cheek; it warms her face while they apply a small amount of pressure onto her mandibles, preventing them from quivering as she feels they would. Instead her whole body shakes at the contact, one that she wishes would never leave. She moves her head closer to Rookie's who smiled at her and says, "It'll be ok Rila."

Somehow, for some reason, Rila believes the human.

They suddenly hear someone release a disgusted sound that jolted them from their stance. Rookie steps away from Rila, taking the warmth with him. He offers her a smile before turning and walks down the hall. He approaches a portal that slides open, allowing him to enter before closing again.

Rila gulps before turning and faces the Marines before her. Alee is wearing a smug smile, Mena looks menacing, Wolfgang appears confused and Matthew still has the bright twinkle in his eye that she had noticed earlier.

Rila gives them a self-conscious smile, wondering what they will say. All the males gives her their own smile in return, but not the female. Instead she releases the same grunt of revulsion that Rila has heard earlier before turning on her heels and marches away. The males follows Rila's gaze as they watch Mena walk away until she passes through the doorway on the other side of the hall and disappears from view.

An awkward silence now fills the space between Rila and the remaining Marines as they continue to stare at each other uncertainly, wondering who is going to speak next.

Finally Matthew clears his throat before stepping forward and asks, "Do you want to get something to eat?"

**Sorry it took me a while to update, my life just got busy, hope you can understand.**

**Also, if the romance is moving too fast for your taste, check out my other story, "Halo: An Unexpected Alliance," I'm not sure if it's at a steady pace, but it's a lot slower, you can read it if you want.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.**


	4. The Drop

**The Drop**

Rookie breathes deeply and evenly as hot droplets land on his body. He closes his eyes as he tries to savor this sensation. Being clean is a luxury compared to where he is going.

He gives a quaky sigh as he stops the shower, halting the artificial rain. Yet he stands in the small stall for a few more minutes, allowing the steam to warm his insides. He always gets cold chills whenever they ready to deploy, but this time it's different. This time he will be the one leading the way and the one who his troopers will be relying on. He is no longer part of the squad, he is now the commander the squad.

He thought of all the leaders he served under; Lieutenant Knell, First Sergeant Hall, Master Sergeant Shadwell, and Gunnery Sergeant Buck. They were all good men and women; could he lead like them?

He shakes of the small droplets off his body as if they were the source of his doubts. He steps out of the stall without even checking if the room is clear.

The shower room is bare except for two parallel rows of lockers running alongside the wall, the benches in the middle and the dozen shower stalls fixed within the wall. Rookie does a quick sweep and sees he is the only one occupying the space. Even if there was someone in there with him it wouldn't have bothered him, he, like everyone else in the Corps and Navy, were trained not to get "sentimental" around unclothed people.

With that, he goes over to the locker that is housing his bag and towel but pauses when he reaches it. Leaning against the iron cage is a small black duffle bag; the fabric is being push outward which suggests that there is something rather large lying within.

Curiosity gets the better of Rook as he leans down and unzips it. Within is the black armor and helmet of an ODST Marine. Its dark color is pierced by the grey pattern of the BDU which gives it a light camouflage feature that does its job quite poorly unless it's within an urban center. The helmet is polarized by a light blue color and has a COMM device attached to its side.

Rook stares at the battle set as if they're jewels, and in a way it is for the young officer. Black suit and ties weren't meant for him, he was meant to bear this symbol of the Corps, to be on the frontlines as a Marine.

He opens his locker and removes his towel and clothes. He quickly wipes down his body and places on his garments, a green t-shirt with the UNSC logo on it and black pants. That is when he places his focus on the ODST gear and starts placing it on.

Though it has been a long time, years of practice has him putting on his armor as if it was all instinct. He places on the leg guard, the pads, the gauntlets, gloves and finally the helmet. He walks in front of the nearby mirror and inspects himself.

He is a six foot tall, one hundred percent, patriotic Marine. The ODST that stares back at Rookie looks like the professionals often seen on the posters; a silent killer and expert on fighting. His attire is all black armor saves for the blue faceplate and…something else.

That is when he notices that there is some sort of symbol that has been painted on his arm and turns to inspects it. It is a symbol that is painted in the shape of a bright red shield with a black skull with long fangs staring back. Behind the skull are two double bladed war axes that are crossed behind the skull, making it into an eerie emblem. Decorated around the skull is an array of dark stars, six spread out in the cardinal directions and in between them; giving it an almost sinister appearance. Rook recognizes the image instantly; it is the insignia of one of the ODST Raiders Battalions.

Now Rookie isn't sure whether to be reassured or worried. The Raiders trademark is infiltrating deep into hostile zones. They are made legendary because they show true grit, stubbornness and incredible courage because once they are in they are often cut off from the rest of the military force, which means no support at all.

Rookie is sure after the mission in New Mombasa, he and everyone in Buck's team probably would have been considered Raiders. He knew that they can take on anything, they surely would have made the cut in being Raiders; they were young, patriotic and strong.

But his platoon…he hasn't even met them yet.

The young Marine pups may possibly have energy and stamina, but do they possess the courage and commitment? The older guns, the veterans of the war, they must have potential in order for them to have made it this long, but could their age hinder their ability to fight?

Rookie shakes his head as he stuffs the duffle bag into the locker. Too many questions and not enough answers, he needs to review his platoon and see how well organize they are.

But first he needs to report to the Admiral and see what the Corps has in store for him.

* * *

Rila looks over the "Canteen" area once more, but she is still amazed by what she sees.

She is surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of human Marines. They are all of the same specie yet they look so different. They have a variety of fur color, heights, and bodies and, unlike Sangehilos; they are eating side by side each other regardless of their genders. She sees that they are also dressed differently, they are wearing either the same clothing as Rookie, different garments designed for the upper and lower body region, or they are wearing battle armor. There are even some people who doesn't appear to be a part of these Marines, they are wearing a kind of grey coveralls that clings onto their bodies and they aren't wearing any body armor or weapons; she conclude that these humans are a part of the ship's crew.

After sweeping the large hall once more it is then that she realizes that as she studied them, the humans in turn are studying her. They turn away from their foods and slide around their seats until they have a full view of her. Some have expressions of shock, disbelief, confusion, but in most cases, they appear to be filled with hatred.

She gulps nervously and is starting to reconsider her choice when Matthew and Wolfgang joins her. They are both carrying trays of what looks like food, save for Matthew who is holding two trays and hoists one up to her with a small smile on his face.

She nods gratefully and takes the tray, barley even noticing what it is that she has for she is still focused on the hard eyes of the humans. Sensing her discomfort, Matthew gently nudges her and says, "Mind joining us?"

She gulps, but nods again in response. He and Wolfgang share a look before they started walking towards the back of the room, forcing Rila to follow after them. As they move more and more heads turn and a hush seems to fill the room. She grew alarm when she sees a few hands reaching for weapons that are clipped to the human's belts, but aside from hostile looks, none makes a move.

Matthew and Wolfgang finally sit down at a table close to the wall and even closer to an exit. She has only met these Troopers, but she appreciates their quick thinking or Matthew's thinking since he appears to be making all the decisions.

She settles herself opposite of the two males who watches her with interest. She does her best not to appear insulted by this action, she suppose she is the first Sangheili they have ever seen up close, but all the gazing is starting to get to her nerves.

She then examines the meal before her. She has eaten only a few units ago, but she thought it would be rude to decline the Trooper's attempt at making friends. The food is of strange assortment of substances; there appears to be a brown square topped by a white blob that is covered in a greyish substance. A smaller plate holds long green strands and a cup in the corner of the tray houses a black liquid. The sight is enough to make Rila's stomach turn.

Suddenly something sits down next to her and says a strange word, "Privyetiki!"

Rila turns and inspect the person sitting next to her. She sniffs the air and determines that the person next to her is a female. The female seems to be the same height as Rookie, but she has a younger face, bright eyes and long fur that seem to fall down her shoulder. She smiles at Rila before looking at the males across from them and nods in their direction.

Rila wonders if the female spoke in gibberish, but before she could ask, Wolfgang leans forward eagerly and says in turn, "Privyetiki Anya."

The female, Anya, smiles again and starts to converse with Wolfgang who responds in kind in the strange tongue.

Matthew rolls his eyes as he sticks a utensil into his food and mutters, "Russians."

Suddenly Wolfgang turns on Matthew and states aggressively, "My grandparents were Russians, I'm from Mars."

Matthew shakes his head, "I know; that's probably the thousandth time you told me that."

Anya chuckles at them before turning to Rila as she puts an elbow on the table and rests her head on her hand. "So," she says in a strange voice with her wide grin, "I heard you wanted to check our new LT out, is that true?"

Rila tilts her head slightly, unsure what this strange female meant.

Wolfgang coughs and she notices he appears embarrassed as he says, "She, uh…she's asking if you are interested in our new Lieutenant."

Rila is curious by this, but she nods, "Yes I am," she says, "he's a peculiar human worth studying."

Anya suddenly burst out laughing and lowers face into her arms as she tries to regain control of herself while Matthew chuckle with her, leaving Wolfgang as the only with a shock expression on his face.

Finally Anya looks back up and bumps her shoulder against Rila's, "You're alright," she says rather cheerfully, "from the way Azim was talking about you I thought you were a stalker or something."

Rila has no idea what this female is talking about, but she recognize one word so she asks, "Sergeant Azim was talking about me?"

"Sure," Anya says as she bobs her head, "She's sitting over there."

Rila follows the direction of the bobbing head and sure enough at the directed table sits the female Sergeant. Rila shivers when she sees that Azim is looking back with a cold glare while everyone else at her table regards her curiously. The only other face she identifies is Alee West, who nods at her before looking back down and starts eating his food again.

Rila looks returns to her table and sees that Anya and Wolfgang are talking again in their weird language while Matthew returns to eating his food.

Rila looks down at her own meal; she shudders before picking at a small piece of the substance with the odd oval shaped utensil with a handle. She lifts the food up, sniffs and does her best not to gag. Slowly she opens her mandibles and gently eases the gooey substance into her mouth. Her jaws then grab hold of the food and push it down her throat.

Rila doubles over and does her best to swallow; the foul food is definitely not meat. Everyone at the table gives a small laugh as they watch her as they easily dig into their own meals with ease.

Rila is sure they didn't mean to sound cruel, but she couldn't help but lower her head, feeling more and more separate from the group.

She is distracted from her thoughts when someone else joins them.

"Finally," the person said in the rough voice of a male, "someone who agrees with me when I say our chow is crap."

Once again the Sangheili turns to see who has joined their small group.

As she already determine it is a male and she couldn't help but marvel at him. He is surely taller than she is, has no fur on his head, a dark complexion and a scowl on his face which, for once, isn't directed at her.

He regards her carefully before asking, "You don't like this stuff either do you?" referring to the food on her plate.

Rila feels herself become weary before slowly nodding in reply. He nods in agreement as he says, "Same here, awful stuff this is, I much prefer MRE rather this crap."

Wolfgang pauses in his eating as he looks up and says, "At least this 'crap' is warm, MREs are stone cold."

The male grunt before looking at Rila and nods again, "I'm Scott, Scott Wiley."

She nods in return, "Rila Sa'u."

"Mind me asking what it is you're doing here?" Scott asks as he pulls a rectangular object from his pocket, which he unfolds, revealing a rectangular brown bar which he slowly begins to eat.

Before Rila could respond, Matthew speaks for her, "She's our new Lieutenant's bodyguard."

This causes Scott to look up, "What? Our LT needs a bodyguard?"

Rila thinks for a moment before speaking, "Well, he's an experienced warrior, but he saved the Arbiter," she explains carefully, "In return for his actions, the Arbiter has ordered me to be his bodyguard, for life."

The table is silent before Anya bumps into Rila's shoulder again, "Well that must be great for you, especially if you're sneaking peeks at his body."

Rila feels herself grow warm as everyone laugh at this. She doesn't know what it is, but this laughter sounds different then the one before, they weren't laughing at her, more like they were laughing with her at her own honest mistake so she allows a smile to break out on her expression.

"So what about you," Matthew suddenly asks, "Have you seen much combat?"

Rila suddenly becomes shy again as she shakes her head in negative responds.

"Well that's a surprise," Anya says as she nudges the Sangheili again as if it's some sort of nervous twitch she suddenly developed, "from the way I hear it, Sangheilis are naturally born fighters."

Rila thinks for a moment before saying, "Indeed, but since we became allies with your race and the Covenant hasn't appeared on Sangehilos, hardly anyone is tested by conflict."

"Are you scared," Wolfgang suddenly asks in a dead serious voice as he eyes Rila strangely.

She regards the human before answering, "I'm nervous, but no, I'm not scared, I'm eager to embrace battle."

The humans all stare at her as if she has done something rash and she starts to wonder whether she said something wrong.

"So you never been in combat?" a new voice asks from behind.

Rila looks around and sees it is Sergeant Azim who is still glaring at her. She wonders what it is she has done wrong to cause this human to dislike her so much, but she is sure they are the same reasons as those the other scowling humans are carrying.

Rila nods her head in confirmation, "Yes," she says gently, "I've never been in battle before."

"Then you don't belong here," Azim says fiercely as she steps forward with complete malice in her voice, "We don't need you, a suicidal split lip throwing us all off our game," her eyes narrow as she continues, "I've seen your kind, you're willing to put your whole squad in jeopardy just so that you can win yourself one ounce of glory that won't mean crap to anyone."

Rila is stun by this accusation, she would have argued, but she stares transfixed by this female. She is surprised, not because the human is saying this, but because she is saying it with complete and absolute conviction.

Azim leans forward as she continues, "This is Raider squad Epsilon, we are supposed to be the best of the best and that is what we are, we don't need the likes of you joining us, not some half-wit who has never experienced battle or what it means to kill," her eyes bore into Rila as she finishes, "This is a platoon for real warriors, something that you're not and clearly will never be."

With the initial shock over, Rila now feels the rage starting to take over, but before she could unleash it, somebody steps in between the two females.

"Enough," Alee says as he looks between the Sergeant and Rila, "You're talking about warriors when you're acting like little kids."

Azim glowers at him, "But West-"

"That's Staff Sergeant West to you Sergeant," Alee suddenly said as he turns to her, "and may I remind you that you haven't experienced combat either, so who are you to start throwing around accusations?"

Azim is fuming, but she does not say a word.

Alee then looks around and that's when Rila realizes that everyone on the Canteen has stopped talking and are now all watching her.

"That goes for the rest of you," Alee commands, "In the Raiders Battalion we judge ourselves by skill, not by how many engagements we have been in" he scans the tables before saying, "We're all in the same boat together, I don't want any mindless morons causing leaks in it simply because they can't keep their personal drama out of it, is that clear?"

Marines and Navy bobs their head, but their hard stares never waver. One by one, people turn their backs and returns back to their trays.

Alee then looks at Azim and demands, "Anything else you wish to say Sergeant?"

Azim seethes but mutters, "No…sir."

"Then fall out," he commands in a hard voice.

Azim holds her ground for a few more moments before turning and marches back to her table and sits down, casting a grimace at anyone who looks her way.

Alee shakes his head before turning away as well and walks after her, but this time he sits on the far corner of the table.

Rila looks down at the floor as Azim's words float through her mind. Is she worthy? Why is it that she would not be considered a real warrior? Has she made a mistake in coming here?

She stares at her clawed hands and for the first time in her life, she regrets being a Sangheili. She just wants to belong, she wants to get along with these people, but that seems impossible for they all hate her just for being. How can she befriend these people?

She feels her shoulder being poked and looks up to see Anya giving her a kind smile as she says, "You know, I've never been in battle before, yet here I am," she then gestures at a strange emblem that is patched to her shoulder on her shirt.

"Same here," Wolfgang voices in, "this will be my first combat drop."

Rila then turns to Scott, they lock eyes and he shrugs his broad shoulders, "I've only gotten into one scrape once, it was so short I'm sure it wouldn't be considered a fight."

Finally she looks to Matthew, who old weary eyes answers her silent question before he spoke, "I've seen one too many engagements, but I'm ready for the next bout."

Anya than places her hand on Rila's shoulder, "Don't worry about it Rila," she says softly, "by the end of the week, we're all be warriors."

"Yeah," Scott says, "and in thanks we're receive more crappy food than we can ever imagine-"

"Oh would you give it a rest with the food already," Wolfgang suddenly blurts out.

Rila chuckles at this, but she suddenly feels better. She looks at each person at the table, they might not have fully accepted her, but it's a start.

Then she flinches when she hears a loud piercing whistle sound throughout the ship. It strikes her hearing hard and causing her senses to ring; she feels like clamping her hands on the side of her head when the sound ceases as a loud voice suddenly barks, "All Troopers report to designated launching area; all Troopers report to designated launch area." There is a click and all is silent.

The room is completely still for a moment before all the Marines jump to their feet and races for the exit. Everyone at Rila's table remains seated however.

"Launch area?" Wolfgang finally asks nervously, "We can't be there already can we?"

Matthew checks his watch, "We might be going to a different battlefield or there's been a change of plans," he then stands and stretches, his old limbs releasing loud cracks in protest, "either way, we're going."

Rila looks at them one more time before asking rather timidly, "Where should I go?" No one has ever talks to her about a "designated" launch area.

Scott shrugs as he stands up, "Well you're second platoon's LT's bodyguard, so I guess you'll come with us."

Anya slaps the armor on Rila's back as she happily declares, "Welcome to the Orbital Drop Shock Raiders," as she displays the symbol on her arm again.

The sight of a black skull against a crimson red setting suddenly makes Rila feel sickly.

* * *

Rookie walks around on the podium as he reviews his speech.

He isn't happy about the arrangements, but when the Corps makes the decision he has to follow them, even if he is an officer now.

He looks up at the small circular terminal before him and runs a quick diagnostic. The preloaded holographic map is there at the ready, he just needs to press the button and it'll appear.

He inhales deeply in nervousness, barley acknowledging the smell of grease and oil. The launching room he is in is huge, as it's meant to be. There's enough space for the troopers to walk around, a miniature armory in the side of the wall and the SOEIV pods on the opposite wall.

Rookie looks up briefly and gives them all a rundown. The drop pods are all line up in a neat room, exactly forty eight miniature insertion vehicles for forty eight Marines. He then notices that at the front is a modified pod, built larger than the others. He guesses that one is for Rila, the Ambassador must have called ahead and inform the ship of their Sangheili guest.

The hatch is open on all of them, offering a view of the single seat within, the handlebars on the side and the small computer for communications. They are tinted pitch black except for the ODST logo which displays a skull with angel wings before the outline of a miniature pod behind it. Rook notices that somebody has quickly etched on the Raider's coat of arms directly above the ODST logo.

He stares at the skull and hopes that everyone will make it. The SOEIV's are what makes the shock Troopers so well known; it's their signature mark to crash onto a planet within a burning metal box, ready to fight. However what most people don't know is that the pods offer disadvantages as well. A Trooper could get stuck inside, they could drown if the pod lands in a body of water, they could break every bone in their body upon crashing or, in most cases, they get cooked while they enter a planet's atmosphere. The SOEIVs are ODSTs life and joy, but it is also their casket as well.

Rookie knows the greatest way to show his commitment to Earth is by stepping into a SOEIV. Only the strong, the brave, or the crazy, would be willing to step into a pod. This just goes to show how tough a Trooper is, by standing on the line before death itself.

The sound of a door being slid open brings him out of his thinking and he turns to look at the Platoon; his platoon.

The men and women that stroll in practically display all the cultures of Earth. Some are wearing civilian clothes, while others are wearing their black armor set. He notices that they are all a mix, there are the jokers, the serious faces, the mild, the tough and the people who have good poker faces. Their ages mingle with one another, but the one thing he notices is that most of them are young; leaving only a few older generation soldiers out. If he has to guess, the youngest appears to be eighteen, maybe even seventeen while the oldest seems to be approaching fifty. They all file in and mill around like lost sheep before a small number of people sorts them out, when he spots West among the group, Rook guess that these people are his NCOs (Non-Commission Officers).

He then sees Rila who is position in the back of the group. Despite her miniature size, she actually stands well above average human height. Save for one guy who is almost the same length as her, the very same one who is holding her attention. That is when he notices that she is enfolded within a small group of Troopers, he identifies Wolfgang and Matthew, but there is now another woman and the tall guy as well. He hopes that they aren't bothering her, but he assumes from her smiling face that she is doing alright.

He waits a couple more of minutes before the Troopers are spread out and they now have their focus on him.

Rook gulps, but other than that he doesn't move an inch. He can't show his platoon that he is nervous. As their CO he is to be their pillar of strength, their voice of reason in a sea of chaos. He has to earn their respect while also being able to draw the line, be protective of them yet accepting should their time come. The responsibility of being a leader is a hard and treacherous life, he has to keep the men's best interest first whenever possible, but in the end it all boils down to serving the UNSC. He needs to lead them, to serve them as a leader, only then will they truly follow, not because they have to, but because they want to.

He gives the group one last sweep, meeting some of their eyes before moving on. However his eye gets caught when they land on Rila. Her slit eyes came out as a shock from the ocean of round pupils, they hold their brief connection for a few moments, in which time she smile at him. He couldn't return the show of affection without starting rumors of favoritism, but something goads him forward and he nods in her direction before putting his focus back on the group before him.

He breathes before speaking in a loud voice, "Morning Raiders."

The group stands up straight and bellows back, "Morning sir."

Rook waits for a few moments before stating, "I'm your new and first Lieutenant, you may address me by rank or by the name Rookie or Rook."

He sees the Marines looking at each other in confusion, but he pays them no mind as he continues, "We are a newly formed platoon, but we are part of the Raiders, which means we are seen as some of the best that the UNSC has to offer." The Troopers nod in agreement and the younger Marines looks ecstatic at the praise, "keep that in mind," he continues, "you are the best train Marines in the whole galaxy, it's time we show the world that."

He steps to the side of the platform and clicks on the holographic projector. The light beams are activated and points to the center of the holo-tank. The Emblem of the United Nation Space Command appears first in bright blue light, an Eagle with spread wings with the acronyms UNSC displayed and their meaning beneath them. The symbol flashes away and a sphere takes it place, within seconds lines, dots and blobs digitally appears, slowing constructing an image of a miniature Earth.

"I'm sure you are all aware of what is happening in the northern hemisphere, but here are the cold stone facts." The image zooms in until it shows the upper portion of Earth where eighteen Covenant ships are floating. "The Covenant lacks the power and energy to glass Earth," Rookie explains, "however, they have more than enough troops to destroy it though," here the holographic ships release smaller vessels which descends and divert in different directions as they land on the planet. "As far as we know, the cities of Juno, Moscow, and Nuuk has been completely destroyed." Here great flames are shown, so great that they appear from space as the mega wide metropolises burn. Rook sees more than one angered face, this may be cruel, but now the troopers are getting motivated.

Rook clicks a few more buttons and the image retreats further south, as it does so, Rook continues speaking.

"Our original plan was to get dropped into the city of New York, but that changed."

Finally the holographic image pauses over an urban center that covers miles upon miles of land.

"We are, instead, going to be deployed to Grand Rapids, North America."

Here some Marines begin to whisper among themselves, and not for the first time does Rookie wonder if any of them are from the area or have relatives living in the city.

Rook waits for a moment before continuing, "Grand Rapids officially became a part of Chicago during the grand expansion period, but this portion has always remained so named because it is built alongside the Grand River." As if to agree with him, the hologram highlights the blue wavy line that snakes through the center of the city.

"Here's what's happening people," Rook says, "The Covenant is engaged with the Navy in the upper atmosphere, but this doesn't stop them from sending down enemy combatants." The image changes to one full of smoke and fire while antiaircraft weapons fire sparks and plasma into the air.

"This is the fifth day since the Covenant entered this portion of Chicago, we have them detain, but unless we do something real quick they're going to break through our defenses, storm through the rest of the metropolis and farther down into the South, ending many more lives."

The Lieutenant lets his words hand suspended in the air for a moment before saying what they are waiting for him to say, "This is what we're going to do."

The hologram closes in on one area close to the river, with skyscrapers place on either side of it.

"The UNSC infantry was able to halt the siege and form a defensive line, with Covies on one side of the river," the land on the right turns red, "and our forces holds the other side," the said section is lighten in a blue hue.

"Command wants us Raiders to become security guards more or less" Rook gestures at one of the skyscrapers that is in the middle of the screen, "and this will be our outpost, Outpost Phoenix."

The building is a large structure whose windows have been tinted black, it still stands tall and seems to have obtained little damage, except for the huge gaping hole in between the fifteenth and seventy second floor, other than that, the one hundred fifty floor skyscraper is unscratched. Another thing that is standing is a massive sign on the front with the fainted letters, "Amway Grand Plaza Hotel" hanging from the second floor.

"We're going to occupy, fortify and eventually repel any Covenant forces," here the scene shifts further down until it is at the river. Blue dots light one side where miniature figures and Scorpion tanks are shown while the other shows a mass red signal.

"The 67th Infantry and the 501st Armor Division have been fighting the Covenant since the first day," Rook explains, "Command wants us to reinforce them, both in number and power. This is going to be prolonged deployment," he looks up at the crowd, "which means we may be here for a while, so make sure you have plenty of ammo and MREs, it wouldn't hurt to take an extra weapon as well." He pauses before asking "any questions?"

There is a second of silence before a voice from somewhere within the Platoon asks, "Sir, what are we waiting for? I mean what are we holding the line for?"

"We are waiting for the Sangheili fleet to join us," Rook answers, "with our combine fire power we'll have more than enough force to wipe out the Covies, both in the air and on the ground."

When the Lieutenant becomes silent, another one asks, "When will the Sangheili get here sir?"

Rook shrugs, "Unknown, hopefully by the end of the week."

Another question immediately follows next, "Sir, we're Raiders," among the Troopers people nod in agreement and swell with pride, "so why don't we attack the enemy directly?"

_Because you're green_, Rook wanted to admit, but instead he says, "We don't have the means to go on the offense, we barely have enough weapons and ammunition to put up a defense as it is, so if you want to lead a charge you have to do it with your bare hands."

Again quiet before a familiar voice asks, "Do we have to deploy with the Sangheili sir?" This question caught the most interest and almost out of reflex, everyone turns their heads to peer at Rila, who answers this by keeping her eyes on Rook and trying her best to ignore them.

Rookie releases a small sigh, "Rila Sa'u is a fellow warrior and an ally Sergeant Azim," he says patiently, "she'll be dropping with us and she will fight alongside us."

"But sir-"

"Is this going to be a problem Sergeant?" Rook suddenly demands and begins scanning the room looking for the Sergeant in question. When he found her she has her eyes lowered and not meeting his gaze.

"Is it Sergeant?" he asks again.

A heartbeat later she mutters loud enough for all of them to hear, "No sir."

Rook nods before looking up, "If any of you have a problem, then speak up now and I'll have you transfer to another unit." The Marines look among themselves, their eyes silently asking one another the same question until a few seconds of silence has finally past.

"No problems?" Rook asks. A few Troopers nod their heads while a few mutter confirmation.

"If there is any, then suck it up," Rook orders, "You're Marines, so don't come crying to me if life is too unfair for you."

The Trooper says nothing, as if they really didn't know what to say.

Rook checks his watch before informing them, "I know it's rushed, but we're dropping in fifteen minutes," he sees some of the younger faces looking worried so he says, "you know the drill, no personal belongings, bring warm BCUs for the wet climate and gear up."

The Platoon stands there for another a moment before Rookie says, "now."

That did it. The NCOs turn on their heels and starts barking, "Alright, everybody, fall out, you heard the L.T! Let's get moving!"

* * *

Rila stands in the back as she watches her comrades get ready for battle.

There are metal containers on the wall, it is from there that most of the humans pull out their armor and weapons. She watches in fascination as Anya puts on her black metal attire. She observes Wolfgang as he takes his weapon apart, cleans it and starts reassembling it. She gazes at Matthew as he opens a box on his hip and places in vials, long sheets of white clothing and a bottle with a nuzzle within. Scott meanwhile is packing a bag full of clothing material; some were lace with a fur while the others are colored in a grey and black pattern. She is aware she is the only one not performing any duties so she sits on a nearby long chair, a bench she reminds herself, while her...friends she suppose, finish preparing themselves.

Finally, Scott says, "So that's our new Lieutenant huh." He says this more as a statement rather than a question.

Wolfgang pauses in his work to say, "I like him, he looks like he knows what he's doing."

"Got that right," Matthew injects, "Especially with the way he handled Azim, he drew the line and earned at least some respect from the men."

Rila thinks about that statement before asking hesitantly, "Does that bother you?" The humans' pauses with what they are doing as they look at Rila questionably. She swallows before asking, "does it bother you…working with me?"

The four humans look among themselves before Anya says, "Konechno, net, it'll be different, but I'm for one am not bothered."

Wolfgang and Scott shake their heads while Matthew just gives Rila a friendly smile.

This small acceptance however doesn't make Rila feel better. She cranes her head over her shoulder, and sure enough, at least three Troopers were staring at her before they quickly look away. She knows these humans are now her comrades, but what about the rest of this…platoon?

Scott drops the bag he packed on the floor before picking up another one and starts packing things into it as well while saying, "I don't know."

Rila looks at him and wonders if they are still talking about her.

Scott notices her questionable look and says, "Not you Rila, I mean I don't know what to think about the Lieutenant."

Rila wonders for a moment before saying, "Well he's been in combat before so I suppose he has experience."

Anya shrugs, "I guess we'll all find out when we're all on the ground together."

"No," Scott says, "What I'm trying to get at is how do we know he isn't a glory hound or something. How do we know we can trust him?"

Rila gives him a worried glance before asking in a small voice, "Is it wise to be speaking about your leader like this?"

Matthew laughs, "Just as long as you don't get caught."

"I'm serious," Scott insists, "We are entrusting our lives into the hands of a guy who just came back to the Corps. How do we know if he still got it? How we know he's a good leader? How do we know if he hadn't gotten soft over time?"

"Something tells me he hasn't gotten soft," Matthew says suddenly serious, "I heard it in his voice, and he's as ready for combat as the rest of us are."

Scott scoffs at this, "Matt we don't even know his name, how can we rely on someone who won't tell us his own name?"

Rila tilts her head at this, "He told you his name," she says rather defensively, "His name is Rookie."

Again the small group pf humans give her a strange look. She hates it when this happens; it makes her feel like a youngling who is just now discovering the workings of the world.

"Uh, Rila," Wolfgang finally voices, "Rookie isn't a name, it's a term we use for new people, like us," he gestures at himself, "We're Rookies because we're new and never experience combat…so I guess that makes you a Rookie as well."

Rila stares at him as she feels her intestines tighten. Rookie had lied to her. She shakes her head. No, Rookie isn't his name…so what is it? And why doesn't he tell her? She doesn't know why, but she suddenly feels betrayed.

Almost as one, the small group turns their heads and look towards the podium. There is their Lieutenant as he checks his weapons, a rifle and submachine gun before placing on his helmet, oblivious of the searching eyes that are upon him.

Matthew holds up his hands as if to calm their minds, "Now wait a minute," he says slowly and carefully, "there are a lot of people with odd names. Maybe Rookie is his nickname or something."

"At least people with nicknames tell you their real names though," Wolfgang points out.

"Who knows," Anya says with a sly grin, "Maybe his name really is Rookie."

Scott rolls his eyes, "Chances of that are pretty low, not unless his name is Rook, like the bird, that would make sense."

"Why don't you just ask him," Rila finally asks, though, even in her own mind, she can hear the almost pleading sound in her voice.

Scott shakes his head, "I ain't asking," he then looks at Rila, "Why don't you do it? You're his body guard, isn't he your best buddy?"

Rila slowly shakes her head, "I thought we were," she partially whispers. But she stands up and starts walking in the direction of their leader.

She is barely out of earshot when she hears Scott says, "He probably doesn't even drink."

* * *

With the delicacy of a mother, Rookie inspects the weapons before him.

The first one he loathes yet loves at the same time. It's the modified version of the M7 Submachine Gun. A small gun specifically designed for close quarters, it packs a powerful punch along with its sixty round magazine. He has outfitted it with a silencer and a smart uplink scope so it'll be easier for him to view objects from afar. With this little weapon he can kill enemy combatants in one room without alerting any of their comrades in the next room. This SMG is strong and silent as Dutch would say, however it has its drawbacks. It takes nearly an entire magazine just to destroy a Brute's shield and it's nothing to boast about if range is needed.

With that Rookie shoulders the SMG before turning his attention to the rifle being held in his other hand. It is a DMR, a Designated Marksman Rifle, the crack shots favorite gun. It can be used in close quarters and long range engagement. It doesn't take a lot of shots to bring down a shielded enemy and the enemy himself as well. It is fitted with a 2X scope, multiple firing modes and it never jams. The design isn't seen often anymore since the UNSC has switched to using the new BR55 rifle, which only fires three round bursts, a feature that Rookie isn't fond of, which is why he is practically jumping with joy when he found this rifle.

He hears timid footsteps behind him and someone saying shyly, "Rookie?"

Rook holds the rifle in one hand as he turns and isn't really that surprised to see Rila.

However what did surprise him is that she isn't looking at him in the eye nor does she seem too happy at the moment.

He regards her for a moment before asking, "Yes Rila?"

She is silent for a moment before looking up at him and asks, "Why didn't you tell me your name?"

Rookie just froze on the spot. Of all the questions he expected her to ask, this wasn't one of them.

He thinks for a moment, trying to figure out how to tell her delicately, until finally he just says, "People call me Rookie all the time, so I just live with it."

She steps forward, "but you didn't tell me this was a title…do you not trust me?"

The sound of her delicate tone suddenly struck at Rook's core. He doesn't know what is causing him to react like this, so he just says, "I do trust you Rila, I really do."

Then, for the time, he hears her growl, a sound that he is all too familiar with on the battlefield. It took all of his restraint not to tense or show any signs of alarm.

"Then why would you not tell me your name?" she demands, "I told you mine."

Rook breathes deeply before answering, "Rila…we both come from different backgrounds, for you a name is a common thing, one that you share frequently with others, but for me…" he looks into her eyes, silently pleading for understanding, "Rila…I've lost everything that was dear to me, my family, my home, my friends, my name is the only thing that I have left and…"

He just sighs and shakes his head, "I don't know, I just…I don't like telling people about myself or giving anything away," he looks up at her, "I do trust you, but for now…can you just call me Rookie?"

Rila still doesn't seem satisfied but she hisses, "As you wish…Rookie."

With that she turns around and stalks back to the small group of troopers in the back, leaving Rookie on the podium as he sighs. Rila doesn't have a temper, but when she gets mad…well it looks like he just saw a small peak of the raging inferno she could become. He wonders if all Sangheili are like that.

Staff Sergeant West appears out of nowhere and steps up next to Rookie with a grin, "having trouble with your girlfriend sir?"

He turns to the Sergeant, but before he could say anything all the lights shut simultaneously off with a thud that causes the whole level to shudder.

Everyone freezes with what they are doing, all waiting to see what happens next. Suddenly the emergency lights spins up to full power and red light fills the room.

The PA system switches on and Rookie recognizes the voice of Captain Xeroxes.

"Attention ODSTs," booms a deep voice, "We ran into a little problem so we're deploying you now."

Rookie checks their position. They are close to their Rapid City…more or less. The interior of the ship suddenly groans and it shudders again. Something really is off.

He looks back to the platoon who seems just as confused as he is.

"West," Rookie says as he turns to him, "get the other NCOs and get the Troopers into the pods now."

"Copy sir," West says obediently, all traces of his previous humor is now gone as he turns and sprints off the podium and into the crowd of soldiers.

Rookie does one last check on things when a thought enters his mind.

He quickly makes his way through the crowd heading to the back. It isn't long before he sees his guard and he calls out to her, "Rila!"

She turns at the sound of his voice and makes her way towards him. He gestures for her to follow and together they head to the pods. As they move Rookie notices that the chaos is slowly changing as the Sergeants calm their soldiers and gently guides them in their duties as they are directed to their selected pods. The more experience Troopers already have their weapons and gear squared away, but the more green Marines were having difficulties. He needs to do a quick check with his men to make sure that they are all set for the upcoming drop.

Finally they reached the costumed built SOEIV. He turns to her and asks, "Give me your weapon."

"My weapon?" she asks confusingly.

Rook nods in confirmation right when the ship shook again. He's starting to have a sinking suspicion that he knows what's happening.

Rila holds her plasma rifle out to him without aggression; she appears to have pushed her agitation aside for now. Rook takes the gun carefully, unsure if it even has a safety, and turns to the pod. On the right side are two slots where a weapon can slide in, he wonders if it can hold non-human weaponry as well. His question is answered when he gently pushes the gun in and snaps into place. He tugs at it but is satisfies when it doesn't budge an inch.

He turns back to Rila and with a near formal sweep of his hand, gestures for her to enter. She is hesitant as she gazes at the pod; the insecurity in her eyes says it all.

Rookie restrains his growl of frustration as he walks up to her and says, "It's alright Rila, humans do it all the time, I'm sure you will be fine."

She still looks uncertain. Rookie isn't sure what makes him do it, but he suddenly reaches out and takes Rila's hand into his own. She appears startle by this, and Rook is sure he looks just as shock but thankfully the helmet hides his expression.

"It'll be alright," Rookie mutters softly, "I'll see you on the ground when we land, alright?"

She breathes softly before nodding in acceptance. She takes her hand back, but he notices she did it slowly as she walks forward. She inspects the pod with a critical eye and even smells it before eventually sitting inside it. It appears to be a bit snug with her having to lower her head slightly, but at the moment Rookie is just happy to see that she fits.

He walks up and inserts his head into the pod and starts to point out the different machinery and functions.

"These are the handle bars," he points at the horizontal steel cylinders close to her hands, he is slightly surprise how large these ones are, looks like it was made for Sangheilis, "you hang onto them when the trip gets bumpy…and it will get bumpy."

Rila nods as she places her hands on the devices, getting a feel for them.

"These monitors will allow us to communicate with one another," he continues, "and do you see these red buttons?" he gestures at the five crimson dots that are on either side of the door opening, "if the door gets stuck all you have to do is press them all down and it'll cause a small explosion to occur that'll help get you out, got it?"

Throughout the whole tutorial Rila has remain silent and just been nodding, so Rook steps out of his comfort zone again and rest a hand on her shoulder, "you alright?"

She finally looks at him and says, "I'm just…"

"Scared?"

She hisses and stares at him with hard eyes, "I do not get scared Rookie."

Rook tilts his head, "Rila, it's alright to feel afraid," he gestures at the people around them, ""Everybody here is scared, even I'm scared," he admits, "having emotion is just showing people that you have feelings you know."

She looks away and simply says, "Maybe…"

Rook sighs explosively, he hopes Rila's Sangheili proud won't cause any trouble.

"Just wait for a moment," Rook says, "when everyone's in their pods, then we'll seal the hatches and we'll be on our way."

Rila nods in understanding, her hands clutching the handles tightly.

Rook merely shakes his head before walking down the line of pods. Most of the Platoon is all set to move, but some of the newer people still needed help. He has to help one trooper fit her SAW machine gun into her pod, help squeeze in gear and basically find a way to talk young and scared "rooks" to enter their pods. Occasionally he would run into a unique problem though.

"Reiter," Rook says, causing the young Wolfgang to become paralyzed with fear before Rook simply reaches into his SOEIV, "never leave a clip in your weapon as you drop," he instructs as he pops out the rifle's magazine, "even if it's on safety, the constant shaking could cause a bullet to go off."

"Yes sir," the young Corporal says with his eyes downcast. Rook nods to him is about to walk away when the Marine says, "sir."

Rook turns back to Wolfgang, "yes Trooper?"

The young kid is quiet before looking up and asks embarrassingly, "do you have a mouth piece sir?"

Rookie is silent for a heartbeat before saying, "What?"

Wolfgang offers a shrug, "back in boot I almost bit my tongue off when we practiced dropping in by pod, so the instructor told me to make sure I have a mouth piece and…well I lost mine…" he trails off as he looks away.

Rookie wonders what to say, he doesn't have a mouth piece, but then he sees that Wolfgang is still holding the magazine and he holds his hand out, "let me see that."

Obediently the young Marine gives Rook the clip. Without missing a beat, Rook pops out a single bullet and looks at the Trooper, "open your mouth."

Wolfgang appears confused but he obeys and opens his jaws. Rookie then places the bullet in between the astonished Trooper's teeth, "see if that works," Rookie says seriously before continuing walking down the line.

Finally he reaches the end and nods in satisfaction; the platoon is ready. All shock troopers are set to drop, all except for him and one other Marine who rushes up to him.

"Sir," West says, "The Raiders are all set and ready to drop."

Rook releases a held in breath and nods. He's so nervous that he feels rivers of sweat already pouring down, but he doesn't show it. Instead he slaps the Staff Sergeant's shoulder and says, "Very good Sergeant."

He then gestures to the final two pods, "Then let's get going."

Alee gives Rook a grin before placing his helmet over his head. He then turns his blue visor to Rook and says, "Copy that Lieutenant."

**AN: with school back on and my other stories, I'm sorry to inform you that updates will be slower; I hope you can understand and be patient. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.**


	5. The Arrival

**The Arrival**

Rila tries her best not to panic when the metal door closes, but she has never been pushed into such a small space before or be "dropped" to the surface of a planet.

The ship suddenly rocks again and the pod shakes with it. Her hands are already holding the handle bars, but she tightens her grip to the point that the metal threatens to bend. Why must humans use such feeble metal for everything?

She is about to let out a curse when the whole pod shakes up and down like a rattle. Her breathing intensifies when she feels herself moving, it is then that she looks up and through a clear transparent glass she can see the pod is indeed moving through what she guesses is a narrow passage within the ship. She is unsure where she is moving to, or even if she is on track, what if this is an accident and she needs to escape before the pod explodes, or worse?

However her thinking is interrupted when she feels a shuddering jerk and the scene before her changes. The metal interior of the ship has disappeared and her breath is cut as she looks out the window and glances downwards. She is outside the ship now and is practically dangling from the side of the space craft. They are above a sea of clouds with the Earth's single sun in the distance; she isn't sure if it's rising or if its setting, either way, the world looks dark and forbidding to her.

Suddenly a bright green ball of energy slams into the ship and causes Rila's small vehicle to rock severely. She tries to remain calm, but when she sees a part of the burning shuttle falling off the main body with what looks like a person falling with it, she experiences fear for the first time.

What if she dies here in the air and not on the ground? Will people even find her remains or even remember her?

Movement catches her attention and she looks around to see more of the pods surrounding her almost like great beasts within a heard. She wonders which one Rookie is in and if he is alright.

"Rila."

Rila is sure her insides flips over and almost stops working entirely. She looks to the point where the voice has originated and sees that it was coming from one of the small communication screens Rookie had showed her earlier. Looking back at her is a human trooper with his helmet on. She can't tell who it is, but she has a sinking feeling it is Rookie himself she is talking to.

"How are you feeling?" the Trooper asks.

Rila looks down again before gulping nervously as she says, "exhilarated"

Rookie chuckles, "Me too…but I'm guessing you're also nervous."

She didn't say anything, but he must have seen her form shiver slightly for he says, "Don't worry, once we're on the ground we'll-"

He is cut off as another blast of plasma hits the shuttle directly, causing the pods to all swing.

Rookie curses before saying, "We're dropping in a few seconds Rila, get ready," with that the screen went blank and she is left alone within the small compartment. She tries to inhale normally, but with the constant barrage she is having a hard time remaining calm, and the constant motion of her pod isn't helping all too much either.

She is sure she is going to be sick, of anxiety or the constant rocking she doesn't know. Her insides jumble together when she hears a new sound within her small vehicle. She locates it and sees a column of bars on the upper corner of the pod, the bright lights is slowly reducing themselves until they reach the final bar. Rila has a bad feeling something is going to happen. She watches as the final bar's light lit up and died a mere second later she feels her pod being released and she feels herself dropping.

* * *

Rookie rises from his seat by almost a foot when gravity seems to come back into play and he is thrust back into his seat.

He mutters a curse as he shifts around in the SOEIV, he always hated that first few second of the drop. The next part isn't so comfortable either as the pressure pushes him down into the chair, forcing him to grab the handles on either side of him as he continues his descend with the sound of the air rushing by outside.

He looks up just in time to see the _Shanghai_ get hit by additional plasma shells before the Frigate is lost as they enter the clouds. Despite this though, Rookie is still able to see the flash and burning metal of his fellow Trooper's drop pods alongside his. He tries to count them to see if they all made it out, but with them shifting positions and his own pod jerking so much he would often lose count or end up totaling the SOEIV he already tallied. He stops this procedure and looks down. They weren't that far off their mark from their LZ, but he can't help wondering if they're really as close as they thought they were.

His question is answered when they broke through the upper atmosphere and gains a full view of the land beneath him. A great big urban center stretches for miles all around, almost to the horizon, it's skyline rising more than three hundred stories into the skies. Before the war Rookie guesses it would have looked like Rio, all nice and shiny with an amazing history. Now however the sky looks as if it is choked with the black smoke that the burning city is emitting. The upper portions of the tall towers looks like they have been blown off and now sit like candles with their tops burning while hundreds of little buildings beneath them are no doubt being turned into ruble. It's a sad scene, one that Rook hoped not to ever see again, he could only hope that the civilians have gotten an advanced warning and had been evacuated before the fighting has started.

His eyes are then drawn to a sliver of silver on the ground that cuts through the city. It's the Grand Rapid River, it appears partially black and some parts of its path has been interrupted by a number of wreckage floating in it's path, but somehow it's still able to push through the barriers and continues its journey. Rook's eyes tries to scan the riverbank, trying to locate Outpost Phoenix, the ancient yet famous hotel, however with so many buildings blacken by fire it's hard to tell which structure is which.

Suddenly something flashes by and grazes the side of his pod. It was bright red and it left the struck metal exterior sizzling. His mind barely registered this when more plasma fire fills the air.

_The Covenant sees us_, he realizes, _they're probably using turrets and Shades_.

A bright green light slices through the air and hits one of the pods squarely in the center. The struck vehicle explodes into a fiery furnace as it slowly starts to burn. Rookie watches in horror as it starts to lose control and begins to tumble through the air, slowly falling apart as it goes. All that Rookie can do is hope that the Trooper had died in the blast, it would have been more merciful to be killed instantly then to be burn to a crisp slowly.

He has witness something like this happening before, but this time it's different. These are his men, the people he supposed to lead and protect. And he just lost one before they even made it to the ground.

He grits his teeth and silently prays that he loses no one else before they strike Earth. But every so often a pod is hit with a barrage of plasma or is hit by a fuel rod, thankfully though it looks like their SOEIVs are pulling through, no other pods are blown up, but that doesn't mean the Raiders inside weren't injured.

He is clutched with sudden dread as he wonders if Rila was the one in the destroyed pod. However before he could dwell on this further, the SOEIV gives a hard yank as if someone has just pulled it back and the wind outside his pod dies. He realizes the chutes have open and the after burners has kicked in as they attempt to lower him gently to the floor, which is just thirty feet away.

However he feels the pod suddenly jerk upwards and feels his rear end being warmed. The underside of his pod has just been hit. The fact has barley registered when there is an ugly moan of metal before he hears a snap and he feels the pod dropping uncontrollably once again. He looks up just in time to see the chute that was previously attached to his pod flutter away into the clouds. He struggles to remain in his seat as he begins to fall forward, which is worsen because now with the afterburners activated, they are now pushing him down with the speed of a bullet.

Before Rookie could curse a single word, the pod meets the ground.

He feels the jarring pain as his seatbelt is broken from the force of the crash and he lands on the cracking glass door that is now beneath him. He grabs the frame and hangs on as the after burnings counties to propel the pod forward, skidding it against the hard ground. He feels the SOIEV shudder and clang as it is no doubt bumping objects out of its way. For a moment Rookie wonders if he'll go on forever when he hears a chugging like sound and slowly the pod finally comes to a halt.

"Well this is brilliant," Rook mutters as he pushes himself up and examines his hand. His unprotected fingers have been scraped viciously by the metal, but not too badly, he can still fight. With that he gets into a crouch position, reaches up and pulls his two weapons down; the SMG and DMR rifle.

It is then that he takes stock of the situation. His platoon is under fire, the Covenant is probably on the prowl and his pod has landed on the side where the door is located. He thinks for a moment before deciding to take a risk.

He crouches even lower without placing his rear on the ground and sticks his weapons on his back as he makes ready to sprint. He breathes deeply and evenly, hoping he can make it without getting shot or squished.

After one more moment of rest he throws his fist out and slams it against the emergency explosive release buttons alongside the opening. There is a small beep of warning signaling that the explosives have been prime, and then comes the hiss as the exhaust is being released.

Rook loosens his muscles one last time when the door exploded. Unable to be pushed outward, the explosive force rebounded off the grounded door and instead sends the armored pod rocketing into the air. Rook takes off running, trying to get out of the way in case the near five ton SOIEV comes back crashing down on top of him. He hears a whistle of a falling object right above him. With that as encouragement, he sprints another yard before leaping and slides across the ground just when the pod lands a mere meter away from where Rook would have been standing if he had not slid.

He looks back and sees that it has landed right side up. However it starts to tilt over, forcing Rookie to trip over himself as he scrambles to his feet and rushes forward just as the pod crashes down again where he was lying a millisecond ago, another close call.

Rook looks back behind him, somewhat surprised that he is even still alive.

_What a violate display of Newton's laws_; he thought to himself as he unslings his SMG and carefully takes in his surroundings.

The city looks just as bad on the ground as it did from the sky. It has been colored either grey or black, all the buildings, street lights and vehicles have been coated in dust and ash. Trash, vehicles and discarded belongings litter the streets. Furniture pieces, kids' toys and suitcases have been thrown all over the place. Rookie is sure he would have smelled something foul if he took off his helmet when he saw the blood. It was everywhere, inside cars, on the sidewalks and covering the walls of the building. It isn't just crimson liquid though, there is also purple and dark red mixed with blue, indication that at one point or another, the Covenant forces once controlled this area. Rook's own blood becomes cold when he notices that the alien body fluid is fresh.

He goes down low and checks the map on his HUD.

No Signal

_This just isn't my day_; the Trooper thought to himself before rising again. He needs a terminal to up link the HUD with in order to receive data about the geographic area. The best place would probably be a school or a bar or maybe just somewhere out here in the open where there are grounded phone consoles set up.

He trudges through some garbage and presses himself against the wall of a building as he starts his search. He is in a residential area from the looks of it, they should have their own home terminals, but there is no doubt they have been locked with the family's security code and he doesn't have time to try and crack them. He scans the outside area once more looking for an open public console but soon gives up, almost everything that was left outside was no doubt destroyed by the fighting.

He sighs as he starts to jog alongside the wall with his gun out in front of him, ready to shoot if necessary. He does his best not too focus for too long on the destroyed street, but what else could he look at as he searches for a terminal?

As he moves he realizes something that causes him to pause as he takes refuge in an alleyway between two skyscrapers.

_There's so much blood_, he thought, _but where are the bodies_?

A sudden snap is sounded right next to his ear, causing him to crouch and turn to look behind him where the shot has come from. He sees a dark shape at the far end of the alley, hiding behind what looks like to be rumble of a partially collapsed building, but the rounded head is still exposed.

Rook puts the up link scope up next to his eye and makes ready to fire, but doesn't pull the trigger.

Plasma doesn't snap when it breaks through the sound barrier, only a bullet does and Brutes definitely do not use human weaponry.

"ODST!" he shouts, risking his identity, "UNSC Shock Trooper Raider, who's out there!?"

He hears a curse before a rather meek voice reply, "UNSC Shock Trooper Raider, coming out."

The dark figure reemerges with an Assault Rifle in hand and quickly makes his way towards Rook. The Lieutenant doesn't relax until the weak sun light reveals the emblem of the Raider Battalion; this guy is in his platoon.

"Is that you LT?" the Trooper asks as he takes up position opposite of Rook.

Rook nods his head while his HUD reveals the man's rank and name; Corporal Israel Skov.

"Got that right Trooper," Rook replies before looking up and down the alley again, "is there anyone else with you?"

Skov shakes his head, "Negative sir, we were dropping in formation, but I think those guns scattered us."

Rookie knows for a fact that the guns indeed scattered them, and on purpose too. No doubt hoping individual targets will be easier to attack then a united force.

_My first mission as a Lieutenant and I already lost my platoon_, he thought bitterly, _its New Mombasa all over again_.

"We need to find Outpost Phoenix" Rookie informs the Trooper, "I've got no signal though, you?"

Skov tilts his head for a moment before shaking it, "Negative sir."

Rook sighs. Looks like the entire signal net is down, did all their tech get messed up from the drop or did something happen to the _Shanghai_? Or is it just an unbelievable coincidence that he met up with a Raider whose tech isn't working like his?

"Rally point is Outpost Phoenix," he finally says, "we need to find a terminal and get there as fast as possible."

The Corporal nods and says, "Sir."

Rook then takes the lead as they went down the street with Skov in the rear, occasionally turning in a circle and looking upwards, checking for snipers.

"Sir," Skov says.

"Yeah?" replies Rook.

"Sorry for that potshot back there."

"Don't worry about it," Rook says, "just remember if you do that again, next time I'm going to shoot back."

He is satisfied to hear the Trooper stumble behind him upon hearing those words.

* * *

Rila slowly opens her eyes as she awakes.

She looks around in the small compartment she in as she tries to remember what happened. She recalls her small vehicle coming close to a tall structure when another pod bumped into hers and she crashed. Or so she thought.

When she looks outside her pod's window she sees that she is on the ground, in the middle of what she assumes to be a street. She bends low slightly and looks above her. She instantly recognizes the building she had hit, but now there is a gaping hole running close to its side. She ponders this for a minute before coming to the conclusion that she must have shot through the building.

She shivers, unable to believe that she is still alive, but happy nonetheless. She glances out once more unable to believe her eyes; she has finally reached a battlefield. She is finally going to fight.

She shifts her weight a bit as she gets ready to head out when she notices that her hands are still wrapped around the handlebars, which are now bent in a near snapping position.

She growls at herself, was this a sign of fear? She's a Sangheili warrior; there is no room for fear.

Yet…she remembers what Rookie had told her before they had left, how he admitted to her that the rest of the platoon is scared. How he was scared. That surprised her, leaders aren't supposed to admit that are they? And most certainly they themselves can't admit feeling afraid should they?

Rookie had comforted her though and told her how feeling fear is a way of showing her emotions. Perhaps that's how the humans bond, not through combat, but through feelings.

She pushes her unease aside for now as she slowly uncurls her hands and pulls them away from the bars. They are shaking slightly, but they obey her commands as she reaches out and grabs what looks like a handle on the bottom portion of the door. She is unsure if she is doing this correctly, but she pulls on the strange lever and releases it when she feels the device give a small vibration. As she let go, the door retracts itself as it soars upwards and it sides pulls away; leaving her exposed to the strange new world before her.

Cautiously she exits the pod and tumbles forward a bit, her legs feel weak and oddly numb at the moment. She looks up and turns in a slow motion as she takes in her surroundings. She remembers the human city she and Rookie were in earlier, Rio if she remembers correctly. It was a beautiful city whose appearance can rival that of any powerful keep back on Sanghelios. This place however…has a feeling to it, as if fear itself is clinging to it.

It isn't sparkling or shining like Rio, and there is more urban structures then plant life, it might have looked beautiful in its original state. Now it lies in ruins. Smoke covers the skies and makes it hard to locate the sun, buildings seems to crumble every few minutes, and she smells the stench of death everywhere. She couldn't quite believe what she is seeing, she has heard that a conflict isn't as beautiful or as glorious as are described in mighty battle poems, but she has never expected to see something like this.

Hoping it'll reassure her a bit, she moves back to the pod she has just come down in and pulls out her plasma rifle and pistol. However as she glances around once more and looks back at her weaponry she soon begins to wish she has brought something much bigger than these.

She could only sigh as she clips her pistol to her belt before holding her rifle up in front of her as she examines her surroundings once more. She then has a horrifying realization; she has no idea where to go. She knew it was a tall tower that is called Outpost Phoenix that is resting alongside the river. She looks up and down the street she is on; she sees no sign of the building nor does she see the river.

She releases an agitated growl. She had seen the river when they were coming in, but after blacking out she no longer knows which direction the body of liquid lies now. After turning in circles for a couple more units, she decides to head up the road and hopefully she'll find at least some kind of sign of where the structure is located.

The whole city is a war zone, but at the moment its quiet, all except for Rila, whose hooves softly claps against the ground as she walks. She gulps nervously as she continues along the way, fueled with nervousness as much as fear. She soon wonders about her comrades; Matthew, Wolfgang, Scott and Anya, were they as lucky as she was in surviving? Or is it possible that they are-

A loud bang is sounded, causing Rila to jump and turn and stupidly fires a blast of plasma without even looking. The blue plasma hits a small pile of debris that has piled up on the floor, remnants of a wall that has fallen from one of the buildings.

She curses herself for her being so nervous, but she couldn't help it. She is in a war, she is lost and she is alone.

She surprisingly begins to wish for Rookie to be by her side. Though she is still a bit angry at him for being so secretive, she longs for his presence at the moment. She wants to feel him close to her, his warm hand touching her flesh and his rough yet soothing demeanor slowly comforting her. She is the one who is supposed to be protecting him, but she could not help feeling that he is the one looking out for her. The thought of that for some reason fills her with slight joy, she has always been considered a nuisance by all but her kin, to know a male, a male with no relation to her, is caring for her makes her feel…good, she suppose.

Another crash sounds not too far from where she is at and she shuffles towards a nearby building. She holds her rifle in front of her as she presses her back against the wall for support as her legs starts to quiver a bit.

Suddenly there is a loud screech and before she knew what was happening, the wall collapse inward, causing Rila to fall in with it. Dust is launch into the air and blinds her as she falls and lands within the building she was leaning against not so long ago. She coughs a bit as she twists herself around in an attempt to right herself up while wiping the particles from her eyes. She stands but trips against what feels like a piece of the wall and lands flat on something; something that is cold, hard and fleshy in different areas. Her breath is caught in her throat as she forces her eyes to open.

She is staring into the empty eye holes of a human skull, with small remnants of red flesh still clinging onto it.

She jumps back in revulsion as her sight returns and she is able to see the gruesome scene before her. There, filling the entire interior of the building she is in, is a mountain of human remains. She can see them all, remnants of men, women, and children. All with their limbs spread out and flung in futile positions, but most of whom are missing their skin. Bones are revealed, small pieces of organs remains and the skulls, all of them, are grinning right at her. She sees the claw and teeth markings on the skeletons and knew what had happened; the Covenant, the Brutes, had eaten these people alive.

She feels a churning in her stomach, one that makes her want to gag. She has eaten meat before, but never from a being that was still alive and never is such a savage way.

Her eyes are slowly drawn to the body of a human so small that it didn't even look like a youngling; it looks like a new born. The tiny human has some flesh still intact, but it has turn slight yellow and now stinks, bringing tiny insects to feast upon it.

She shakes her head and forces herself to look away as she stumbles out of the building, but no matter which direction she looks she can still see the scene as vividly in her mind.

_And we used to help to be apart of them_, Rila thought to herself as she remembers her people being a part of the Covenant, _no wonder the humans all hates me, if my people stood by while such horrors were committed, what else has been done_?

Her head suddenly snaps up when she detects a sound; feet running on a hard surface. She takes cover next to the building's remaining wall, but is careful not to put any weight on it. She attempts to ready herself for a fight if any is approaching. She levels her plasma rifle and waits patiently.

Finally two human figures emerges from a narrow street, both are jogging and are clad in black armor with weapons at the ready.

Rila lets out a held in breath before walking out into the open and shouts, "Comrades!"

The Troopers turn with raised weapons, but they lowered them when they saw her and they moves in her direction. She watches as they run, all the while scanning the area, making sure there are no Covenant soldiers nearby.

Once they make it to her, one of the Troopers kneels and holds his rifle up as he looks around the street while the other human approaches.

Rila has a good idea who this human is because of his height, but it isn't until he speaks did she know for certain that it is Scott.

"Rila," he says as he holds his rather small weapon in one hand as he approaches, "glad to see you made it."

"And I'm glad to see you as well Scott," she says as she bows her head towards him before looking at the second human, "who is this?"

The human turns to look at Rila briefly before saying, "Sergeant Rohit Jaworski, leader of Raider Three-Three."

Rila cocks her head slightly, "Three-Three?"

"That's his designated squad," Scott explains, "My squad is Raider Two-Three, and you met them, Matt, Anya and Wolfgang."

Rila nods in understanding before asking, "Do you how to get to Outpost Phoenix?"

Here Rohit sighs to himself before turning his attention back to scanning his surroundings.

Scott slowly shakes his head, "We were hoping you would have some idea Rila."

Rila couldn't help but stare at him, "Me? This isn't even my home planet."

Rohit snickers, "Well when you put it like that I suppose that would make the most sense."

Scott shakes his head again before looking around at their surroundings before saying, "I think I saw the river in that direction," he says with a jerk of his head.

"Was this before you hit the ground or when the Covies were shooting at you?" Rohit asks, still not taking his eyes off their surrounding area.

Scott shrugs, "call it a hunch," he turns to Rila, "How about you Rila? Have any idea where we are?"

Rila thinks for a moment, "I do not know," she admits, "all I remember was-"

She is interrupted by three loud cracks that are immediately followed by sparks being ignited close to the Sangheili's feet. Rila jumps, while the two Troopers turns on their heels, and raise their weapons in the direction where the loud cracks have originated. She sees their fingers tighten slightly against the triggers of their rifles, but Scott's suddenly goes slack and he releases what sounds like a growl as he says, "hold fire."

Rila follows their gaze and is slightly taken back when she sees another Trooper heading towards them from a few units away, the rifle in his hand has a plume of smoke rising from his barrel. Rila tightens her grip on her own rifle as the Trooper approaches.

Scott walks forward and holds out his arms as he says loudly, "What was that Azim!? Trying to get us killed or what?"

Rila feels her throat tightens upon hearing this. Of all the people she was to meet alive, why her?

The said female continues walking before coming to a halt before Scott, appearing unfazed by his massive size as she shrugs, "have you ever heard of friendly fire Sergeant?"

Scott huff before releasing his held in air as he mutters darkly, "You know as well as I do that to intentionally aim and fire at another personnel isn't friendly fire; it's murder, plain and simple."

"Well she's still breathing isn't she?" Azim questions before turning her helmet towards Rila.

Rila has no idea why, but she suddenly views this as a challenge. She doesn't cringle, she stands tall and releases a small snarl, she is a Sangheili, and she will do well to let this female know that she is not a pitiful creature that should be trifle with.

Azim shows no sign of fear until Rila notices her grip on her rifle has tightened. Rila smirks at this.

"If you two are done," Rohit says as he walks up next to them, "I think we need to get a move on, because I for one don't want to get caught out here in the middle of the night."

Azim turns towards Rohit and scoffs, "Night? It's nowhere near evening yet Sergeant."

"It was nowhere near dark for the 107th Infantry Division when they got ambushed by the Covies during the battle of New Harmony either …Sarge," Rohit says.

Azim then says, "Don't try to act like a genius Rohit; you're lucky just to know how to say speak."

Rila finally growls and advances, she has had enough of this female.

Azim leaps back and is about to raise her weapon again when Scott steps between the two women.

"Enough," he hisses, "Dark or not, we need to get out of the open or we're be eaten alive."

The memory of the torn human's returns to Rila as she tries to repress a shiver, barely hearing Scott as he continues speaking.

"…So you had no contact at all?" Scott asks Azim.

"None," she growls at him through gritted teeth. If this female was raised on Sanghelios she would have been well discipline for her lack of respect, and Rila plans on giving her one as she tries to side step Scott, but he intercepts her.

"Enough," he says repeats, his faceplate looking directly into her eyes, "We'll continue this later, but for now we need to keep moving, clear?" he asks as he looks between Rila and Azim.

Rila growls but lowers her head in submission while Azim merely shrugs.

Scott sighs explosively, "I guess that's all I'm going to get," he says as he hoists his gun up, "alright let's move out."

Azim doesn't even look at Rila as she turns and starts trudging away, leading their small party. Rila growls as she follows the human female from behind.

As she walks, she hears Scott speaking softly behind her, "If the Covies don't kill us first, then I have a feeling these two chicks will."

She is baffled at what a chick is, but even more so when she hears Rohit chuckle at what Scott had said.

* * *

"How we looking Skov?"

The Trooper looks down the range of his scope before reporting, "Still clear sir."

Rookie nods at this as he checks his HUD again.

Uplink 89% completed

Rook wish this could go faster like in New Mombasa when Virgil helped him, but this city's AI was deactivated some time ago, whether it was done so officially or if it was destroyed by the enemy he has no idea.

The two Troopers are inside a dinner getting the uplink in place. Skov is standing watch at the door while Rook is behind the counter trying to hack into the console's main power drive. They have been holding the small building for minutes now as they attempt to get a heading. They have run into no trouble so far, but there is a sensation that both Troopers are feeling, almost like they are being watched. This causes Rookie to work faster.

His head suddenly jerks up at the same time Skov levels his rifle. They both heard it at the same moment, the splashing of feet going through a puddle. Rook is still trying to connect to the grid so he has to remain behind the small table, leaving Skov alone by the door as he wedges himself between the entrance and the wall, trying to get into a stable firing position.

Rook stands up as high as he could without leaving the signal's small sphere of influence as he takes aim with his MG with one hand.

The two Raiders wait for any sign of life, any sign that they are about to be assaulted in anyway. Rook strains his ears in an attempt to hear something; anything that sounds hostile in nature, one eye is locked outside while the other is carefully monitoring the uplink.

Finally figures begin to appear and Rook curses silently.

A few yards from the diner are an entire squad consisting of Brutes. The leader of the group, a creature that resembles a cross between an ape and a bear, tilts its massive head back as it sniffs the air before its red eyes settle upon the structure the two Marines are in and snarls. It then barks into the air, a loud sound that appears to resound off the surrounding skyscrapers. A heartbeat of silence passes before a cry similar to the first answers back.

Skov looks back at Rook as they both realize that the small squadron of Brutes are about to grow. This is confirmed when they hear the screeching of Jackals and the barks of Grunts rising in the distance.

A cold feeling of dread takes over Rookie as he pinpoints the sounds to be coming closer to their position.

Realizing they are about to make contact, Rook frantically gestures to Skov to join him behind the light barrier. The Trooper was more than happy to oblige. They hunker down, switches off their safeties and breathes evenly. However even Rookie starts to have trouble breathing when he hears the enemy closing in on them. That small squadron of Brutes sounds as if they have grown into a small army as their talks intensifies to the point Rook feels like they're riveting within his head.

Rook glances at his HUD again.

Uplink 89% completed

_This really isn't my day_, Rookie thought bitterly.

No sooner did he think that did the chattering of the alien species suddenly cease.

Skov and Rook shares a small look of confusion at the sudden silence. Straining his ears some more, Rook is partially able to pick out the sound of scampering feet hitting the tile floor of the diner.

It's now or never.

Rook breaths as he whispers, "frag and clear."

Skov turns his faceplate towards Rookie, no doubt giving him a shock look, but slowly the Trooper nods, agreeing their only chance of getting out alive is to fight.

Rook grips his submachine gun, let's go of the console's wires and unhooks a grenade. Using his thumb, he pulls off the safety pin and looks at Skov and sees that he has copied Rook's action.

Finally the moment of truth, Rook's first combat order will either save their lives or ensure their place in a casket.

Without another though, he pops the firing mechanism, feels it vibrates as it "cooks" and hurls the small object over the table with Skov mirroring him perfectly.

He hears two impacts and a startle squeal that quickly changes into a yelp. Skov covers his head while Rook shields the console with his body as the grenades finally explodes. He feels the heat wash over them as flames shoots over the counter and hears the confused and scared barking of the Grunts. Wasting no time, the two Trooper rises to their feet and brings their weapons to bear.

The tiny aliens that survived the blast stands in front of them appear dazed as they look about the diner in a muddle like state. The leader's beady red eye widens when the realization strikes it but it's too late. Without another second to spare, the Troopers release a hail of lead.

The MA5K in Skov's hands cuts through the enemy with the brutality of a blade while filling the room with its loud cracks as rounds discharges. Rook's SMG fires as well, but his gun makes no noise as it releases a barrage of bullets in rapid succession as it mows the aliens down.

Blood and dust are sprayed into the air as the rounds impacts against the alien's skin, their light armor doing nothing to protect them from the bullets. Finally after the first rounds have been fired, only a few seconds ago, the Grunts lay on the ground, their bodies broken from the projectile's kinetic energy.

Rook barley takers this in as he looks up and out the door. Crowded outside of the diner's main entrance are large numbers of Brutes, Jackals and even more Grunts. They appear stun with what they have just witness before the Brutes roar and brings up their plasma weapons, the rest of the Covenant soon follows suit.

The Raiders drop to a crouch again as the plasma and crystals are released. Above them red, green and purples blasts of energy flies over their heads and impacts the opposite wall, tearing and burning the structure in the process.

Skov covers his head with a hand as he starts to hyperventilate as plaster and dust begins to rain down on them. Rook checks the uplink, hoping for some good news for once.

Error, please try again at a later time

Rookie stares at the small message with disbelief before releasing a steady stream of curses that only he can hear. This isn't good, they're pinned down in a building that wasn't made to withstand against this magnitude of fire, and they need to get out of here before it's too late.

"Skov!" Rook screams over the whine of plasma, "Get ready to move!"

"…Move Where!" Skov screams back, "we're cut off!"

"Shoot and scoot!" answers Rook, "We're going to stand up, empty our mags and run to the back of the building got me!?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Skov says, "I read you!"

"Ok!" Rook chambers in a new clip, "On Three!"

"One!" Skov grips his rifle tightly.

"Two!" Rook loosens his muscles before taking in a big breath.

"Three!"

They both stand in the middle of the firing energy balls and release their own pent up fury as they fire while their world seems to have slowed to a crawl. Rook shakes a bit as he fires silence pops into the crowd while Skov's barrages bangs away. They concentrate their fire out the doorway which is filled with bright lights that almost blinds the ODSTs.

The plasma fire starts to lighten, whether it is because the Troopers actually hit them or surprised them Rook has no idea, nor did he care.

"Out the back door!" he shouts over the carnage, "Now!"

Skov continues to fire until his gun finally runs dry of ammunition and his barrel starts to steam. With that, he turns and sprints through the door that leads to the kitchen. Rook covers him for he still has more bullets on his clip than Skov's gun, but he runs empty only a second after Skov did.

Following after the Corporal, Rook gets down low and scurries into the back. No sooner did he enter the backroom, the fire intensifies as the Brutes roar out new orders. Rookie and Skov half crawl and half ran through the small kitchen as plasma rounds goes though the weak walls and impacts the objects within the room. Rook's spirit rose a fraction when he sees the door up ahead. Skov must have seen it as well for he stood up some more and sprints forward. Rook copies the younger soldier and together they rush to freedom.

A sudden hiss causes Rook to look back and his eyes widen. One of the plasma rounds has struck the oven and judging from the small flame that has just ignited, there is still gas within the cooking machine.

He turns back and shoves Skov out the door right when he hears an explosion. All that Rook feels moments afterword is him being lifted into the air, his back becoming incredibly hot and he hears Skov shouts something before he blacks out from the unbearable heat.

* * *

"Stop that."

Rila looks up at Azim who is in front of her, confused by the Sergeant's sudden words.

"Stop what?" The Sangheili asks, figuring it is her that Azim is referring to.

"Breathing on me," she answers coolly, "it reeks."

Rila growls in anger and frustration, wanting to rip the human apart even more.

A small tap on her shoulder causes her to look behind to see Rohit who simply says, "switch," and before Rila knew what happen, Rohit moves forward and forces Rila to take a step back as he wedges himself between the two females. Azim appears annoyed at this new formation but trudges on.

Rila eyes her with cold fury before returning to her duty. Scott has asked her to watch the side streets and alley ways as they travel within the shadowy confides of the buildings. They move with such fluid motions that Rila has to admit she is impressed, she has never seen anyone be so quick yet careful at the same time. She can now understand why it was they were made into squad leaders.

Which is why she feels a bit embarrassed when she causes the most noise, no matter what she tries, her feet keeps coming down with frequent cracks as her hooves hits the pavement. She wasn't really well designed to move with secrecy.

She suddenly clamps her mandibles shut in a way to keep herself from laughing. She must look ridiculous, a female Sangheili trying to run with grace while in company with three bulky armored humans.

Never in her life has she imagine herself to be where she is now, it is a bit exciting now that she thinks about, but deep down she is actually worried. They have yet to run into any more human Raiders and they would hear the occasional sounds of battle echo through the ruin city. The few times they tried to make their way to the source of the disturbance, but the massive metropolis is like a maze. It fills Rila with fury and guilt as they are forced to hear what she presumes to be her comrades fighting in a hard battle and they are unable to do anything to help. The only thing that got her and the others excited is when Scott spotted a sign hanging from a poll that is barley standing. She couldn't read it, but there is a tiny image next to the scripture words portraying blue liquid flowing down a waving curve; she guesses that this is pointing them in the direction of the river.

However they have been traveling for units on end and the only body of water they have found were small mucky puddles in the middle of the streets. She can tell that everyone, even Scott, is starting to get agitated with their situation. Rila has to admit she herself feels like lashing out with no apparent reason.

They come to a quick halt when they feel a light tremor run through the ground for a moment before it settles. They wait for a few units, but nothing else is happening.

"What was that?" Rila asks.

Rohit looks around before saying, "might have been an explosion, but I don't see the source."

Scott is silent before saying, "might be a building collapsing."

"Or artillery," Azim hisses, "I just hope it's aimed at the..." she suddenly becomes silent as she looks down the street with renewed interest. The squad soon mimics her as well, looking down the street to see what caught her attention.

"What?" Rohit finally asks.

Azim is silent before whispering back, "I think I saw movement, like something walking close to the corner of our block."

"Was it a species of the Covenant?" Rila asks.

For once Azim doesn't shoot her a glare, instead she just shakes her head, "I don't know, didn't get a good look."

The squad waits another unit before Scott orders, "move with caution."

Azim nods before leading the way forward, moving with a slow gait that the others soon match. A feeling of excitement courses through Rila but it is also tinted with dread. Will they finally get to fight? And if they do, will they be well trained to handle it?

Her thinking ceases as they stop at the corner of the building. She can sense Azim breaths slowly before easing her helmet close to the edge. They all tense as her helmet is partially exposed in the open, but they hear her exhale as she shouts, "friendlies!" before walking out of cover.

The remaining three look at each other in momentary confusion before following Azim and comes to a halt in slight surprise.

Standing in the middle of the road, looking completely at ease was a human soldier. He certainly look odd to Rila, his clothes are torn, his weapon and armor bears multiple scratches and burns, showing that he has been in combat. Yet what surprises her is that the human, a male whose fur is starting to grow to the same length as a female, looks calm, maybe even sleepy for their are black circles under his eyes and his skin looks pale and almost sickly. He has something in his mouth, a small brown cylinder with its end on fire but the warrior doesn't seem concern, he doesn't look the least bit concern at the sight of the Troopers, or Rila for that matter.

The soldier breathes in deeply before releasing a plume of smoke. For a unit Rila thought he was breathing fire until he opens his mouth and speaks.

"'Bout time you got here," he says in a slow voice as he continues to regard Rila.

She in turn studies him for a moment before asking confusingly, "You knew I was coming?"

"Of course we did," the soldier removes the burning cylinder from his mouth and waves it around a bit as he tilts his head back and looks at the sky, "now where's the rest of your army?"

Now Rila understands though she doesn't know how to explain her situation to the odd human.

Luckily Scott steps forward and says, "actually soldier, the Sangheili is attached to our unit, it's just us ODSTs, we-"

"Yeah I know who you are," the soldier interrupts before sucking on the cylinder again, "saw you drop in, 'bout time you showed up Mr. Supreme Fifi."

"It's Semper Fi," Rohit puts in.

"Well ain't that nice," the soldier drawls out, "good for you, I guess that means yall not as hard headed as we originally thought you were."

"Enough," Azim says, "we're looking for Outpost Phoenix, do you know where it's at?"

"Outpost Phoenix?" he asks with a odd grin, "I think you mean Outpost crap hole."

Rila looks at Scott and asks, "does this mean we are in the wrong place?"

"Oh for the love of..." Azim mutters before standing tall and says, "Soldier, take us to the Outpost now and I won't let the hinge head eat you."

Rila was struck dumb by what Azim has said. She never ate a human before, and the sight of the carcasses she had seen earlier encourage her not to practice the act. Besides, she wouldn't eat the human even if she wanted to, from the way he looks and smells, its quite clear he'll make anyone sick.

The soldier however doesn't even appear concern, in fact, there's no emotion at all within his eyes, he just flicks the cylinder away with his fingers and says, "right this way little lady," and starts walking off without checking to see if they are following.

Rila is sure Azim is about to explode as her whole body starts to shake, but Scott pushes her after the male.

Turning her attention back to the soldier, Rila asks, "What's your name?"

The human doesn't look back as he says, "I'm called Steven by my friends, boot by my peers, stupid by my superiors, 'grr' by the Brutes, 'squeak' by the grunts, and 'caw, caw' by the Jackals."

"What's your rank?" Rohit asks, "we're all Sergeants here you know."

The man, Steven Rila guesses just laughs, "well sir," he slurs out the last word, "as far as I can tell it don't matter what my rank is, the Covies will kill me whether I'm a Private or a General."

Rila starts to worry that the human they are following is insane when they feel another tremor, this time it came from above. They look up just in time to see the shadow of a Frigate being outline by a powerful green blast before disappearing behind the clouds again. They wait another few seconds before they see something large tumbling through the sky and strikes the Earth. The ground shakes with an unrelenting rumble that causes six skyscrapers to collapse as the ODSTs and Rila brace.

Rila feels dread fill her as she looks up. Sticking up some cycles away from them is the lower portion of a human shuttle, a ship that looks just like the one they have dropped from earlier.

Steven walks up next to Rila, sticks another cylinder into his mouth and pulls out a small object from his pocket. He opens a small compartment, picks out what looks like a tiny splitter of wood and runs it down the side of a building. She is momentarily surprised when the stick came alit with fire. Calmly as ever, Steven puts the stick against the cylinder in his mouth until it caught fire. He threw the stick down while sucking on the burning object, his eyes still as emotionless as ever.

"Looks like somebody is having a bad day," he remarks dully.

Rila has no idea why, but she is starting to dislike the sound of the person's voice.

**Sorry it's taking so long to update, my free time has been limited lately.**

**On a small note, if you're curious about the progress for the next chapter, I posted a Chapter Statues Chart on my profile if you're wondering which story I am working on and how far along I've gotten it.**

**As always thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.**


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